CHAPTER XVII 



PLANTING FOR WINTER COLOUR 



Much cheerful positive colour, other than that given 

 by flowers or leaves, may be obtained in winter by 

 using a good selection of small trees with coloured 

 bark. Of these the most useful are the Red Dogwood 

 and some of the Willows. This planting for colour of 

 bright-barked trees is no new thing, for a good half 

 century ago the late Lord Somers, at Eastnor Castle 

 near Malvern, used to " paint his woods," as he 

 described it, in this way. 



The Cardinal Willow has bright red bark, Salix 

 britzensis orange, and the Golden Osier bright yellow. 

 The yearly growth has the best-coloured bark, so that 

 when they are employed for giving colour it is usual 

 to cut them every winter ; moreover, the large quan- 

 tity of young shoots that the cutting induces naturally 

 increases the density of the colour effect. But if they 

 are planted in a rather large way it is better that the 

 regular winter cutting should be restricted to those 

 near the outer edge, and to let a good proportion of 

 those within stand for two or more years, and to 

 have some in the background that are never cut at 

 all, but that are allowed to grow to their fuH size and 

 to show their natural habit. 



14a 



