Monthly Archives: March 2021

I Bet You Can’t Guess What This Flower Is …

Perrotia Persica ‘Vanessa’ Bloom
Heatherwood Spring

I thought the perrotia blossoms I posted several days ago were the the mature bloom. I was totally surprised when I saw these little flowers. What I had seen previously were only the red tips. Like I have said many times before, I discover something new every time I walk through our garden. Now I know what a mature parrotia bloom looks like.

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Clouds, Trees, and a Fence

Neighbor’s Pasture
Heatherwood Spring

The clouds make this infrared image of our neighbor’s pasture. We “borrow” this scene for our lower Heatherwood garden. We are surrounded on three sides (N,E, and W) by hills and look over a valley to the south. In the design of Heatherwood, we have opened up and framed vistas of the surrounding countryside. There is always something interesting to explore with our eyes and imagination.

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It Was a Sunny Afternoon …

“Overlooking Heatherwood and the Valley Below”
Heatherwood Spring

It was a sunny late afternoon. The lower yard was in bright sunlight and the valley below was covered with clouds. I had not photographed in infrared in over six months, so I decided to grab my IR camera and play with the light and shadows.

Spring is the time to work with infrared photography as all the green emerge from the deciduous trees and the spring grasses. I look forward to experimenting and improving my IR skills as the hills turn green around us.

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The Value of a Daily Stroll

“Perrotia Persica”
Heatherwood Spring

I take a stroll in our Heatherwood garden almost every day. As I walk around I casually enjoy the garden surroundings. I am always looking for something new emerging. I have had my eye on this Perrotia persica for about three weekends waiting for its tiny flower buds to form and bloom. We planted this tree last summer after it had bloomed. Seeing these tiny one-half inch flowers is a real treat. They are very short lived, my daily “inspections” paid off!

In our previous garden in Pennsylvania, we had a Perrotia for over ten years. I never saw the full bloom. Thank you Heatherwood!

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The Magnolias Are In Bloom

“Magnolia Stellata”
Heatherwood Spring

Our Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata) is the fourth major tree/shrub to bloom in our Heatherwood garden. The stellata follows our witch hazels, the cornelian cherry dogwood, and the forsythia in our late winter/early spring blooming cycle. Its sensitive blossoms are subject to evening freezes, the wind, and rain. Some years the bloom remains crisp for only a day or two. This year we have had very mild spring temperatures and no rain. The wind has been moderate. We have been blessed with blossoms that have lasted several days now. It is shaping up to be a beautiful spring!

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Early Morning Sunshine

“Cornelian Cherry Dogwood”
Heatherwood Spring

Early morning sunshine backlit this emerging Cornelian Cherry dogwood blossom. The bright yellow color burst immediately caught my eye as I was taking an early morning stroll with my camera. It started my day with a flash!

The Cornelian Cherry dogwood is the first tree to bloom in our Heatherwood garden. Soon our flowering pear, cherries, and crabapples will be blooming along with other dogwoods and redbuds. This will be the first year that several of our new trees will be in bloom. I will try to keep a record of the sequence that each species bloom.

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Spring is Here!

Siberian Iris”
Heatherwood Spring

This little Siberian iris greets the first day of spring. They are sprouting and breaking out in bloom in our Heatherwood dogwood-redbud grove and along the front of the pond. To get a good eye to eye look, I had to lay down on my belly make the image.

Looking down from the top, the little iris has an interesting triangular form.

Each spring day brings new discoveries in the garden. Some new bud is flowering, leaves are opening up, perennials are starting to emerge. What will tomorrow bring? I’ll just have to wait.

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Spring Is Coming

Purple & White Crocuses
Heatherwood

Tomorrow is the first day of spring. Signs of spring are popping up all over our Heatherwood garden. The first crocuses that bloomed were white, the second were purple, and now the third are our purple and white variety. Looking out over our garden I see little flashes of color around most of our rocks scattered around the landscape. These little “jewels” are a clear sign that spring is here!

Spring Jewels

Purple, white, and a flash of yellow
Spring up all about,
Warming the land and our hearts.

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Another Spring First

“First Hellebore Bloom”
Heatherwood Spring

Our first hellebores just couldn’t wait for spring. I placed my iPhone on the ground and shot upward to the sky to get this image. There is no possible way to get my regular camera in this position. Every day, I take a stroll around the garden to see what is emerging. Something new is happening every day!

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Crocus and the Chief

“First Crocus and Chief Joseph”
Heatherwood Spring

Last autumn we planted around 3,000 bulbs. I gave my gardening partner the assignment to go plant bulbs scattered around the garden. She took me for my word and now we are seeing little surprises popping up all over. This is one of the first blooms of the season.

Our Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine in its winter color gracefully watches over the baby crocus. It is like a guardian watching over its flock.

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