Colour In The Autumn

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 7 (Supplement)

Colour In The Autumn

DLANTING for autumn colour 1 effect is not carried out so widely as it might be in Auckj Trees an d shrubs that bear decorative fruits, or have leaves which assume brilliant shades of colour before they fall, deserve greater attention, and as the planting season is approaching, May is an appropriate time to make a closer study of the many varieties that are obtainable. The Scarlet Oak, with its prettilvlobed leaves that 'turn rich-red arid last in good condition for several weeks, is most striking in autumn. The red oak is another American tree, the leaves of which turn red or brown. On this tree the most brilliantly coloured leaves are on the late summer shoots. Several of the maples are also bright, the bushy Acer palmatum and its many varieties taking on rich shades of red, orange, bronze. Acer circinatum is another large bush or small tree with richlycoloured leaves, while A. ginnala and griseum a -e also brilliantly tinted. Maple and Ash Then there are the tall Canadian maples—the sugar maple .(Acer saccharum) and the Red Maple (Acer rubrum); the leaves of both turn to yellow shades in New Zealand. Golden colouring is pronounced among some trees in autumn. Many of the Sorbus, or mountain ash, arc brilliant. The Rowan tree, S. aucuparia, has bright scarlet berries and handsome foliage, while S. discolor, a notable mountain ash from China, is a wonderfully decorative tree. Some of the hawthorns (Crataegus) are attractive in autumn, both by reason of their coloured leaves and fruit. C. prunifolia is particularly good, for the leaves are bronze, orange and red, and the fruit red. Although, as stated, last week, there are a number of sumachs (rhus) which are undesirable, some are an asset by virtue of their beautiful foliage. *R. cotinus, the smoke bush, or Venetian sumach, has pale flesh colour flowers in loose feathery panicles and distinctive foliage. Its variety, atropupurea, has purplish flowers and the whole tree presents an effective sight. Beauty of Azaleas Ghent azaleas are attractive in autumn, for the leaves take on glowing tints before they fall, in red, bronze, scarlet, orange and yellow. As they are among the most beautiful flowering shrubs in November, that' is a further reason for thei:- inclusion in gardens. However, they cannot be grown in places where lime is present in the soil to any appreciable extent. There are many shrubs with decorative fruits among the viburnums. The common guelder rose (V. opulus) bears rich red fruit. V. lartana, the "wayfaring tree," has white flowers and red berries which gradually turn black. A distinctive species is V. rhytidophyilum, which has bold,

wrinkled, shining leaves and bright red berries which change to black. Cotoneasters are rightly popular, their bright fruit being conspicuous in many Auckland gardens. They will thrive in any soil, provided it is not too moist, and should be pruned sparingly. C. serotina is frequently seen, but C. watereri, with its large berries and drooping habit, is one of the finest. The hrethorns (pyacantha) are excellent for growing against walls or as bushes in the open. They are evergreen and bear white flowers in spring, and scarlet fruit in autumn. The crab apples are also desirable. These are grown chiefly for their flowers and decorative fruits, but the latter can be used for making jelly. The fruit of the so-called strawberry tree, arbutus uredo and Cornus capitata, are effective, the former

being orange-scarlet and the latter red. Arbutus uredo is also an excellet late-flowering evergreen. This bivjf survey by no means exhausts the list of autumn foliage trees, but it includes some that have proved popular. An infinite variety could be added, notably the liquidambars, primus berberis. Crataegus, coprosmas, mandina, spindle tree or euonymus, dogwood, the karaka with its yellow berries and the ramarama or native myrtle. Finally, reference must be made to the brilliant colours taken on by the climbers Vitis inconstans, V. Henryana and V. CoignetiSe. Better known as "Virginia creeper," the two former should be planted against a wall, but the last-named will ramble among the branches of big trees or may be planted against a pergola.

THERE have probably been more lawsuits fought on the question of boundaries than on any other source of friction between individuals and communities. The determining of national boundaries has involved much bitterness, costly arbitration, and, in extreme cases, as we of the tragic present day know, costlier wars. In the effort to avoid such evils national frontiers, parochial boundaries, and the limits of private estates have been denned by a variety of visible marks, and from the earliest times these have been esteemed as almost sacrosanct. Curses have been pronounced against all who cause them to be removed. Moreover, to ensure their permanence, it was formerly the universal custom of parochial authorities in England to perambulate the boundary of the parish annually. Beating the Bounds This was done (usually) at "Rogation tide"—the week in which Ascension Day occurs—and was conducted with much ceremony. Headed by the clergy, a procession of churchwardens, overseers, parish clerk, school children and parishioners, followed the whole circuit of the boundaries. Each person carried a "peeled" wand with which to strike the recognised "boundary marks"—hence the ceremony was known as "Beating the bounds." At certain points pauses were made whilst portions of the church service were recited or the gospel for the day was read. In some cases—presumably to impress the spot on the memory of those present—a boy was flogged at, or "bumped" on, one of the boundary marks. The ceremony ended with a (more or less) "official" meal. In recent years this custom has fallen into disuse, rendered unnecessary by the 6in ordnance maps upon which each parish boundary is clearly shown. For the same reason many of the ancient boundary marks have disappeared, though their memory is kept alive by such place-