COLOR FOR WINTER'S RELIEF. 



than inferior sorts brought at much greater expense 

 from far off countries. 



The third bush that deserves great prominence, also 

 a native and found over a vast range of territory, is the 

 red-bartted dogwood. The peculiarity of this is that the 

 bark colors a vivid crimson in autumn, and remains 

 bright red all winter until the leaves unfold in spring. 

 The change of color begins with the ripening of the 

 berries, but is not always completed at that season. 

 This fall the color was dull for a month after the foliage 

 fell. But all through the cold season this dogwood 

 sits on the snowbanks like a glowing fire. Of course 

 no extreme cold affects it. The euonymus passes its 

 prime color by or before Christmas, often by the first 

 of December. The barberry and dogwood are fine 

 through the whole winter. This bush grows naturally 

 in lowlands, and revels in wet places; but it grows 

 fairly well on uplands. It may be planted in sun or 

 shade. In wet soil it spreads by layering its limbs, 

 which droop over and readily catch roots in the soil. 

 The barberry also adapts itself to shade as well as sun. 



I have standing before my window a superb moun- 

 tain-ash, which has been glorious with its load of 

 clustered berries for three months. Do our people real- 

 ize what a superb affair this may be ? It likes a cool 

 spot, but grows well in poor and rich soil. It should 

 be trimmed with care so that it will not become too 

 bushy, and then there will be such a revelation of the 

 beautiful in color as no other tree gives. I do not 

 think we have its equal in that respect. Some years 

 the robins will take all the fruit, but we have no right 

 to undertake fine lawns and gardens without counting in 

 the birds and preparing food for them. Hedges of 

 Tatarian honeysuckles delight them ; and we can save 

 our favorite mountain-ash trees from spoliation by 

 syringing them with kerosene emulsion. In this way I 

 got rid of damage from the robins in August ; but the 

 flocks in October, as they passed south, stopped and 

 took a meal — quite to my satisfaction, for the tree was 

 so loaded that a bushel could be spared from the top be- 

 fore the snows weighed it down. I have other trees 

 that I leave to the birds cheerfully . The mountain-ash 

 is subject to borers, but these can easily be destroyed 

 by a wire and sharp knife. The foliage as well as the 

 fruit is elegant, and the flower gives a vast amount of 

 honey and bee-food. 



We may add to our list the high or bush cranberry 

 [Viburnum oxycoccus). This bush, rather homely while 

 in bloom, deserves a chance in late autumn. I like it 

 best where the others are least valuable, in clumps and 

 under hedge-rows, and by stone walls — in all odd and 

 out-of-the-way places. It is a good bush for mixed 

 groups. Birds seldom meddle with the fruit, and it is 

 frequently conspicuous all winter ; but its finest show is 

 before Christmas. The berries are soft and not so en- 

 during as those of the barberry. 



One special use of all the berries I have enumerated 

 is home decoration. Branches of the mountain-ash are 

 truly superb in large vases, or fastened elsewhere about 



our rooms. The barberry holds its color and richness 

 for many weeks indoors. The euonymus is especially 

 fine for a shorter time. 



We have in the above list all that are needed to 

 brighten our yards and lawns in the dull days of late 

 autumn, and to counteract the winter's chill. We have 

 two more colors to care for to complete our plant- 

 ing. The green of summer can be retained by having 

 plenty of hemlock trees, bushes and hedges. This is 

 the finest of our winter evergreens. Savin or junipers 

 in general give us good clippings for winter bouquets; 

 while the mahonia should be always on hand for Christ- 

 mas, In my judgment, the chief use of evergreens is 

 to secure green for the brown months ; and I have 

 planted my own lawn with this object in view. 



Among the browns we may also get great delight 

 from a few trees and bushes that have rich tints and 

 persistent foliage. Among them are the scarlet oak, 

 first scarlet and then rich brown through November, 

 and often till Christmas ; while the beeches, more es- 

 pecially the purple and copper varieties, are charming all 

 winter. What can be finer in winter than an oak forest 

 or a beech grove ? Americans have so far generally 

 failed to appreciate these two trees. In our western states 

 I have seen the most complete homesteads in the middle 

 of great oak groves — trees of the aboriginal forest. I 

 know only one beech park in America ; and only a few 

 fine beech groves. But apart from its exquisite sweet- 

 ness and wholesomeness, the beech is eminently fine 

 for the purpose I have specified. 



Our winters are so long that it is irrational to plant 

 for summer only. The foliage begins to drop in the 

 northern states generally by the first of October. Ash 

 and butternut trees are bare early in that month. By 

 November the general aspect is that of defoliation. We 

 have then five months or more without relief of color, 

 unless we plant specially to supply the lack. 



PLANTS FOR THE HOUSE. 



I do not think our people generally understand the 

 art of enlivening winter with plants and flowers at the 

 least expense and trouble. I was long accustomed to 

 pot a quantity of bedding-plants, and had more work 

 than flowers. Geraniums and common bedding-plants 

 can be so cheaply bought in quantity of greenhouse- 

 men in the spring, that it does not pay to keep them 

 through winter. If something rare is in our beds, it 

 may be advisable to pot it ; otherwise let all freeze in 

 winter and buy anew. Of course, if one has a light and 

 dry cellar or a plant-pit, the plants can be easily lifted 

 and stored. But to lumber a small conservatory or our 

 windows with cheap plants is a mistake. 



For a while I adopted the plan of filling my windows 

 and conservatory with caladiums, begonias, and other 

 fine foliage-plants. These were charming, and gave, of 

 course, as much good bloom as foliage. I will not say 

 that I won't return some day to my semi-tropical pets ; 

 but they cost a good deal in the long run, and one must 

 know how to take care of them. Dwarf oranges in 



