GARDEN COLOURS.
A pretty habit that seems to be increasing among gardeners is to build Japanese gardens, especially designed to illustrate autumn coloration. They were at their best, at any rate in the Home Counties, last week, and not even a rock garden in spring is more alluring in delicacy of tint. The " old gold " and red of the autumn leaves rival the yellow and blue of the spring flowers. This form of gardening is doubtless expensive, but it does not require much space, and can be gradually built up over a series of years. In general, autumn colours have been singularly gorgeous in England this month, and even yet the oaks and hedgerows retain their glory.
Old gold has been the master colour. Incidentally, the prevalence of this tint over the English landscape in autumn is delightfully expressed in a poem that I came upon acci- dentally this week.
"That maple hedge Beyond the river is on fire with gold : There too the duskiest of the roadway elms Is topped with gold ; these hazels rustle gold ; The aspens glitter like a gold-green shower."
The volume—New Idyllia, by Morton Luce (Fisher Unwin)— is new to me, though published, I fancy, several years ago. As a true and affectionate description of English scenery— and the robin's song—I have read nothing of its sort so good for many years. The author (of whom I know nothing) is perhaps too good a botanist, but that is his one fault. And he shares the burden of knowledge with his great pre-
decessor, Lord de Tahley.
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