Monthly Archives: December 2021

Winter is Here

“First Day of Winter”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Today is the first day of winter. Light snowfalls in the last couple of days ushered in winter in our Heatherwood garden. I even had to plow our driveway yesterday.

Last year most of the Japanese maples kept their leaves through the fall and most of the winter. This year, they all have lost their leaves. The maples’ naked branches just blend into the background. The landscape seems more barren than it was last year. Hopefully the trees are taking a rest as they continue to develop strength below the ground’s surface preparing them for next years growth.

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Winter Garden Ground Cover

“Ice Plant Sedum”
Heatherwood

To compliment the various winter interest shrubs and perennials, we have added various ground covers. The one with the most brilliant winter impact is the ice plant sedum. From its bright light green summer color, it turns into an intense orange-red color in late fall and winter. With a light dusting of snow it is particularly striking.

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Flash of Red in Winter Garden

“Fire Power Nandina”
Heatherwood

Now let’s add a little flash of red to brighten up the winter garden. This species is a non-invasive dwarf reaching about two feet tall and wide at maturity. Here in the inland northwest it will maintain its red colored leaves during warm winters. Being a non-invasive plant, it does not have the typical white blossoms in the spring or the red berries in the fall and winter. But it is still a nice all season highlight to the garden.

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Winter Garden Star

“Chief Joseph – The Star”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The “Chief Joseph” lodgepole pine is the star of our winter landscape. It turns from its summer bright green to this brilliant yellow in the winter. This specimen is a great candidate for the centerpiece of any winter garden.

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More Winter Garden Ideas

“Yellow & Red Twig Dogwoods & Grasses”
Heatherwood Late Fall

In addition to color contrasts, structure, form, and texture are important elements to create interest in a winter garden. In the above image, the red and yellow color of the dogwood shrubs provide initial interest. In addition, the hard line texture of the dogwoods contrast with the softer grass stems. The upright forms of the grasses and dogwoods complement each other and tie this vignette together. I am starting to visualize the beginnings of the new Yakima Arboretum Winter Garden already.

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Winter Garden Planning

“Winter Garden Color”
Heatherwood Rock Garden

We received a little dusting of snow last night, so I thought I would venture out and try to take some images that would show examples of what could be done to create winter color in the garden. In our Heatherwood rock garden, we have yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blues, and browns. Ground covers, perennials, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs provide the varying color contrasts.

We are in the process of designing a small “Winter Garden” section for the Yakima Area Arboretum. We hope to create an example that can be shared with the area community.

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Made Me Dizzy

“New York Abstract”
New York City

Riding a New York tour bus, I looked up at this building with multiple angles and reflections … I got dizzy! I immediately pictured what I saw as a modern abstract painting. New York City building architecture fascinates me. There is just so much to see. I could spend a whole trip just walking the streets looking up at all the different buildings. I can’t wait to go back.

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Abstract Thinking

“Ornamental Grass Abstract”
Heatherwood Late Fall

How many ways can I look at something? They are infinite. This image is a 9-layer multiple-exposure, vertical pan of a clump of ornamental grasses in our garden. I enjoy looking at the world around us from multiple, sometimes abstract, perspectives. It helps me develop a balanced view of life that I would have never considered if I would have approached it from only one conventional angle. It also helps me come up with some creative images.

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Fourth Layer

“Lavender and Grasses”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

We have designed the stream and waterfall section of our Heatherwood Japanese garden in five distinct layers. Starting at the bottom of the hillside looking up at the bluff above, the foreground layer transitions from a sitting area with a bed of spring Siberian iris covered with kinnikinnick. This layer flows into the pond and two waterfalls which comprises the second layer. The third layer is the wandering stream and Kotoji Japanese lantern. The fourth layer is a buffer of lavender and grasses shown in the image above. This buffer layer separates the Japanese garden from the final background layer of the sagebrush covered bluff above.

We frequently sit and relax gazing up through the pond, stream, and hillside on sunny afternoons throughout the year. It is a nice place to catch the late afternoon sun even in late fall.

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Winter is Coming

“Japanese Maple and Yukimi”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Winter is coming. We have just a week more until the first day of winter arrives. I’ve delayed getting the pond ready for its winter hibernation. The waterfalls need to be turned off and the pond aerators need to be put in place for the fish. The pond filters need to be cleaned out. Ice will form around the edges of the pond. The sound of the falling water will be silenced until we start the pond up again next spring. We will miss the energy that the stream and waterfalls bring to Heatherwood’s Japanese garden

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