AUTUMNAL TINTS. 



4£ 



changing from green into yellow ; also in the stiff habit of 

 the first with the gracefully drooping branchlets of the latter. 

 Another splendid effect is obtained by allowing the Virginian 

 Creeper and common Clematis to climb loosely over any large 

 evergreen, as the Ilex Oak or common Holly ; the deep green 

 foliage of either forms a striking background to the scarlet and 

 crimson of the Ampelopsis and the white feathery seed-vessels 

 of the Clematis. Another particularly fine combination is the 

 silver variegated Ivy on a wall intermixed with the red and purple 

 of the Japanese Ampelopsis. Again, the Pontic Azalea, so much 

 admired for its delightfully fragrant yellow flowers in spring, offers 

 in autumn, when massed, a gorgeous display of glowing crimson ; 

 and a still more striking picture may be formed with a group 

 of the beautiful Parrotia per s lea. 



Of the wealth of materials at our disposal for the decoration 

 of gardens and pleasure-grounds, and the endless variety of 

 combinations and groupings that may be formed with them, 

 ample evidence will be obtained by a visit to the Eoyal Gardens 

 at Kew in the month of October. At Tortworth and Westonbirt 

 in Gloucestershire, the effective arrangement of deciduous trees 

 and shrubs, particularly of exotic kinds distinguished by the 

 beauty of the autumnal foliage, has been the study of the owners 

 of those noble residences for many years past, and in con- 

 sequence one of the greatest charms of their surroundings is 

 perceived at this season of the year. 



I propose, then, to bring under your notice some trees and 

 shrubs of exotic origin whose foliage is distinguished for its 

 autumnal colours. I shall include among them some that are 

 perhaps not so generally well known as they deserve to be. The 

 list is confessedly a very imperfect one, for, unfortunately, the 

 present season has not been a favourable one either for the 

 development of the colours or for bringing specimens before you. 

 Moreover, the subject is one that requires a more extended study 

 in its horticultural bearings, and which should be continued 

 through several consecutive seasons before anything like an 

 exhaustive treatise can be drawn up. Let us hope, however, 

 that a beginning is being made that may lead to results of an 

 enduring kind. For the convenience of reference by the Fellows, 

 now happily rapidly increasing in number, the following selection 

 of trees and shrubs, with a brief description appended to each, is 



E 



