Monthly Archives: April 2022

Blooming Together

Leave a reply

“Crabapple Grove”
Heatherwood Spring

Last year our crabapples bloomed one at a time in sequence. This year five of seven have bloomed together. The remaining two in addition to the original one that came with the house when we moved in should be blooming any day now.

Today we finished our first week of spring planting, hopefully we will be able to finish late next week. We have about 2500 plants to put into the ground. Most are small ground cover plants, but they still take a lot of time. We are also adding several small shrubs to fill in the mid-tier in our Japanese and woodland areas. We are not planning on any additional planting in the Crabapple Grove area. We still have to decide how we want to cover the area covered with daffodils once they have bloomed. This is a project for another day.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Almost Passed Me By

Leave a reply

“Crabapples in Bloom”
Heatherwood Spring

I have been so busy getting ready for and executing our spring planting that I almost missed the peak bloom on some of our crabapples. Today we took the time to take an early morning stroll before we started planting. As the daffodils in the grove fade, the crabapples start to bloom. This is the second blooming season for our new crabapples. They are gorgeous, even though they are still in their youth.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Planting Plan

Leave a reply

“Garden Entry Before 2022 Planting”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

We are starting day 3 of our 2022 planting project. We are currently planting in this area. Kinnikinnick will cover the foreground area, blue rug creeping junipers will cover the mid-ground area, and thyme will cover the areas close to the entry path. In two to three years most all of this barked area will be covered with vegetation.

Related Images:

Time to Plant

Leave a reply

“2022 Spring Planting”
Heatherwood Spring

Our driveway looks like a garden nursery. The plants for our spring planting project arrived last Friday, two weeks later than what we had originally planned. The crazy early spring weather has put us behind schedule. We have a zillion plants to layout and plant during the next couple of weeks. The weather has turned warm. We will need to carefully stage our planting with our irrigation system modifications. Wish us luck!

Planting starts today!

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

A Favorite Perspective

Leave a reply

“The Waterfall”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I have posted several images of our Heatherwood Japanese garden waterfall over the last couple of years. This angle is one of my favorite perspectives. Last year, we built two stepping stone paths leading to this intersecting view point.

The sound of the falling water draws my attention up the hillside. My eyes stop and pause at the Kotoji lantern before they continue to move to the Mountain lantern where they pause again. After the pause, they move to the yellow Chief Joseph lodgepole pine and pink phlox and then back down to the lower waterfall. And then they start to make a counterclockwise move up and around the hill again.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Up to the “Perch”

Leave a reply

“Stepping Stones Up to the Perch”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

On this day I decided to take the back path up to the “Perch.” From the entrance of the stone steps, I can see the Adirondack chair and the small mountain lantern. I can hear the sound of a rushing stream, but cannot see anything. A surprise waits at the top.

My mission for this day’s photo excursion was to record a baseline for the state of the Japanese garden before we start our spring planting project. I want to have before and after perspectives of the different vignettes in the garden. Our objective for this area will be to encase the area around the path with various ground covers and maybe a couple of deciduous shrubs.

Since this post talks about the path up to the “Perch”, I decided to change the overall web site header to the surprise at the top of the steps.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Beautiful Spring Day

Leave a reply

“Waterfalls and Pond”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

It’s a beautiful early spring morning. The sun came out and the clouds cooperated. Heatherwood beckoned me to come out and walk through the Japanese garden with my camera. I enjoy this perspective looking over the waterfalls up over the developing Japanese-style garden area. This area has been in place now for three years. The trees and shrubs are slowly growing along with the ground cover. Each year we have been and will continue to add ground covers, a few trees and shrubs, and other accent vegetation to enhance the garden. It will be a never ending evolution. Next week we start our spring planting!

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Getting Ready

Leave a reply

“Purple Lilac Buds”
Heatherwood Spring

Our lilacs are getting ready to burst out into their spring bloom. I planted a row of lilacs along the north eastern part of our property about five years ago. The bushes were about 18 inches tall. The first year, each plant had only a couple of blossoms. Now they are over six feet tall and are laden with beautiful blooms. One of the things I enjoy the most about our garden is watching how plants grow and mature over time.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Next…

Leave a reply

“Pink Cherokee Chief Dogwood”
Heatherwood Spring

After the early blooming yellow Cornelian Cherry dogwood, our pink Cherokee Chiefs are the next dogwoods to bloom. The sepals are just starting to spread now. In a day or two, I anticipate that they will be in full bloom.

Our two pink dogwoods were here when I first moved to our Selah home in 2016. They greet us as well as visitors as we/they enter our upper driveway.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1

Still a Garden Star

Leave a reply

“Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Bloom”
Heatherwood Spring

Our Cornelian Cherry Dogwood is one of the first bloomers of the year in early March. The blooms have remained for over a month! They start off as little yellow “puff-balls” then mature into graceful blossoms as the sepals spread out. This beautiful little tree remains a star of the garden through early spring!

There is so much going on in the garden as the temperatures start to rise this spring. I discover new tiny leaves, bulging buds, new baby conifer cones, along with new blossoms every day. I enjoy just walking through the garden examining the changing details of all the new life! It’s a wonderful way to start the day.

Related Images:

200507_LongExp_WtrFall__Kotoji 200506_LongExp_WtrFall_1