To Paint the Landscape O’er 
glaucous, a dull sea-green, passing into a greyish 
blue, on the under side of the needles and green on 
the upper side. This peculiarity makes it a desirable 
tree to plant on a hill. It is easily transplanted, of 
rapid growth and pleasing shape, and it is surprising 
that a tree of so many merits is so seldom seen in 
this country. 
June is the perfect time of the year for all kinds of 
maples, their foliage then becomes solid in masses, 
and rich in green and at no time of the year are the 
Japanese varieties more satisfactory. It is well 
also to know that nothing is lovelier in color than 
these Japanese maples in June, except their autumnal 
color and they are, during the entire year, always an 
interesting feature in any landscape. 1 he young 
growths in early summer show a delicate, almost 
transparent red effect, prophetic of their riper and 
more resplendent charm and these tints mingle 
refreshingly with the green of their older foliage. 
The later summer tints are every variation of green, 
gold, silver and red, a red in certain varieties, Acer 
polymorphism, that gives it prismatic colors, shading 
off in another variety into purple, Acer polymorphum 
purpurea. As these trees are fairly hardy their decora¬ 
tive qualities are unsurpassed. In the selection and 
grouping of the trees at “Overleigh,” we readily per¬ 
ceive that attention has been given to the choice of 
those trees, rich in spring beauty, some for summer 
charm and perfection and others chosen and grouped 
to show to advantage their great autumnal climax 
of color as well as those for their winter attractive¬ 
ness and variety. Then aside from individual 
qualities, when considered as a whole, each becomes 
an important factor in the entire general effect. 
For great spring attractiveness, when their tender 
soft green is never so lovely, the larches of all varie¬ 
ties are at their best. They grow rusty and brown 
in summer and are not desirable near the house, so 
that No. 14 is perfectly placed on the outlying lower 
slope of the lawn. A tree that is lovely at all times 
and at all hours of the year is “The Lady of the 
Woods,” the birch. Nothing adds more grace to a 
summer landscape, nor more beauty to a winter 
scene than its silvery form and its delicate branches. 
In spring the tree has a slender, refined appearance, 
the exquisite beauty of its young leaves is revealed 
only to a close observer and these trees have always 
a distinction most striking. Personality is great 
among trees and strength, beauty, ruggedness, 
grace, refinement of form and spirituality, so to 
speak, are as distinctly displayed as such characteris¬ 
tics are among people. In figure No. 6 is a tall, slen¬ 
der American birch, its leaves “ tittering,” dance to 
the music of the slightest wind, while almost opposite 
is a weeping birch, No. 8. This tree, known as 
Young’s weeping birch, is about twenty-five years 
old. In early autumn its leaves are of a soft, not 
very dark green and later they turn yellow. This 
variety of birch seems well named, “A Niobe all in 
tears,” its graceful and drooping branches, despair¬ 
ingly relaxed, suggest grief and nothing could better 
recall to the mind Shakespeare’s line, “that some 
must weep while some must play,” than the relative 
position of these two trees of such distinctive and 
contrasted character. 
One finds now in the landscape besides color, form, 
KEY PLAN OF PLATE IV. 
1 35 
