A YEAR IN A GARDEN ON N.-W. COAST OF ROSS-SHIRE. 91 
here, makes the much-dreaded winters pass so easily and quickly ; 
and how different it must be where in many Scottish and English 
homes the gardens are dreary deserts, the effect of some cruel frost 
in September ! 
If it were not for the abundance of other flowers, the second 
blooming of the big bushes of Desfontainea spinosa (which is now on) 
would be warmly applauded, but when the terrace walls are still 
orange and red with Tropaeolum tuberosum, and Phygelius capensis, 
and blue with the most perfect Hydrangeas and Ceanothus, the 
Desfontaineas and Myrtus Luma in the shrubberies hardly get the 
admiration they so justly deserve ; and then there is the autumn 
leaf-colouring, which is really almost more brilliant than even the 
flowers themselves. It has not been by any means a good season 
for autumn tints. 
Whole woods of the native birches lost their leaves very early, 
falling in showers while still all but green ; and the rowans, Norway 
maples, geans, and aspens did the very same. But there were some 
notable exceptions among the exotics, such as a nice big Acer nikoense, 
which turned a rather unusual lovely salmon tint ; and Disanthus 
cercidifolia, the Gaylussacias, Enkianthus japonicus, and the Eucryphias 
were marvellously brilliant, and so were most of the Japanese maples, 
but their beauty was so short-lived, and some that used to turn 
vermilion only turned a reddish orange, owing, I fancy, to want of 
sun, and perhaps also want of slight frosts at night and there being 
far too much rain. 
Although the shrubberies are now not so bright as they were, 
they are to me quite as interesting as ever. I am so proud of my 
comparatively small tree-ferns (the New Zealand Dicksonias), and 
this season seems to have suited them well. Of course they are a bit 
delicate, but they can generally be kept going by tying their own 
fronds in a bunch over their heads to keep the frost and snow from 
spoiling their crowns from which the coming year's fronds will start, 
and which seem to be their tender point. I cannot boast of my 
fronds being quite six feet long, though I saw some at Trewidden in 
Cornwall which, I think, were nearer twenty-five feet, grown at the 
bottom of deep holes, said to have been dug by the ancient Phoenicians 
when burrowing for tin. 
I have several interesting new plants which are in course of being 
tried to test their hardiness here — viz. the Guevina, which has so 
far proved itself quite hardy at Arduaine in Argyllshire for the last 
two or three winters, and Anopteris glandulosa, which struck me 
as being the most charming new plant that I saw in all Cornwall 
two years ago, and I am interested also in several new Eucalypti, 
which promise well. One of them is Eucalyptus Molleri from Tas- 
mania, recommended to me by Professor Henry, of Dublin, and the 
other is E. alpma They are about as unlike each other as it is possible 
for trees of one tribe to be, the one with rather unusually big leaves, 
and the other just the contrary with very small leaves. 
