“Pacific Fire”
Heatherwood Summer
The last couple of weeks have been hotter than Hades. This week has been between 105 and 110 degrees. Today we are suppose to reach 109. This scene in our south east conifer corner looks like it is on fire with all the yellow and reds. We planted the “Pacific Fire” vine maple behind the Adirondack settee three weeks ago. It is showing off its flame-colored leaves. I hope that they don’t get carried away and burn off!
“Kotoji and Stream”
Portland Japanese Garden
The Kotoji Japanese lantern in the Portland Japanese Garden is tucked away, partly hidden by surrounding shrubs and weeping maples. Shade has stimulated moss to grow on the lantern over the years. The lantern peacefully looks over the gentle, slow moving small stream.
At Heatherwood, the feeling is quite different. The surrounding shrubs and Orangeola Japanese maple have not had the years to mature and surround the Kotoji. The lantern is in full direct sun and stands like a strong guardian over the rapidly rushing stream and waterfalls.
“Kotoji and Waterfall”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
“Twisted Japanese Maple”
Portland Japanese Garden
Many of the Japanese maples in the Portland Japanese Garden are truly a piece of art. How many years of meticulous pruning was required to create this piece of art? How many years of experience did the artists have before they even clipped a tip of a branch to initiate a desired growth pattern? How many years of patient guiding the growth habit did it take to create the twisted form of the trunk? All these and many more questions go through my head as I grab my pruning shears to form our Japanese maples at Heatherwood. Whatever I do now will impact how our trees will look like 20, 50, or even 100 years from now. It makes me nervous!
“Lantern and Wash Basin”
Portland Japanese Garden
A lantern and wash basin typically greet visitors before they enter a Japanese garden tea house. This one in the Portland Japanese Garden is tucked into a little shaded cove just inside the gate leading to the tea house.
At Heatherwood, we do not have a tea house but are attempting to create a small cozy secluded sitting area to peacefully view the pond, stream, and water fall. In addition to an occasional cup of tea, it is a nice place to have a morning cup of coffee or afternoon glass of wine or other refreshing beverage. At the entrance of the sitting area, we have installed a small Japanese lantern and wash basin to simulate the feeling of Japanese garden tea house.
“Oribe Lantern, Tetsu Bachi Basin, & Kakehi Water Spout”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
As you can see, the vegetation has not grown up around the water feature and it is not covered with moss. We patiently wait for surrounding plants and Japanese maples to grow and create a shady canopy for the wash basin.
“View of Cannon Beach”
Ecola State Park
I remember the first time I visited this view point. It was the end of the summer of 1972, fifty years ago. Dave Zimmerman, a great college friend, and I were driving down the Oregon coast on our way to visit another couple of friends (Kent Dimmitt and Doug/Candace Norquist) in Los Angeles. I had just received my first camera (a Nikon Nikormat) for my college graduation present from my parents. We were on the lookout for interesting things to photograph. We stopped here and I took a couple of photos that turned out to be one of my favorites from the trip. I still have a slide filed away somewhere.
The next time I stopped here was with Karen on our unofficial (we didn’t tell anyone) engagement adventure in late summer of 1975. Our next visit was on this day in 1976 on our honeymoon. It was so, so romantic!
Fast forward forty-six years. Mary and I were driving down to the Allison Spa and Inn in Newburg, OR to use a wedding gift that we received from my siblings 3 years prior. Covid kept us from using it earlier. On our way down, we took a little side trip to Astoria and then down the northern part of the Oregon coast. I saw the sign to Ecola State Park and decided to stop at the view point. The view was still spectacular! The view point had really changed from what I remembered 50 years ago to be just a small turnout. It is now a beautiful park for viewing Cannon Beach. We took our time and enjoyed the wonderful experience.
“Lantern On Waterfall Pond”
Portland Japanese Garden
This scene at the Portland Japanese Garden was my initial inspiration for a corner of our pond in Heatherwood’s Japanese influenced garden. Our vignette at Heatherwood is quite a bit different, but contains many of the same elements. We built a rock ledge extending out over our pond and placed a similar type of Japanese lantern overlooking the pond. To the left of the lantern we planted Siberian iris which parallels the irises in the Portland garden. We planted an Akebono cherry tree to the right of the lantern. We have a sitting area behind the lantern with a rock stepping stone path leading up to the pond beside the lantern. We have just purchased a Japanese maple to plant alongside the lantern. Below is our Heatherwood perspective.
“Yukimi Japanese Lantern & Pond”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
We have a long way to go before we have a “finished looking” scene. Each year we enjoy watching the garden evolve as we add new touches.
“The Iconic Japanese Maple”
Portland Japanese Garden
I usually am not drawn to that special iconic scene when I visit various “natural beauties.” But, sometimes I just must create an image. This iconic Japanese maple overlooks the main pond at the Portland Japanese Garden. It is the same tree that I photographed from beneath the branches in my previous posting. Over the years, I have haphazardly made a collection of images of this tree from my various visits to the garden. I have photographed it in different seasons, different times of day, different types of light, different weather conditions, and from many different perspectives. Most times, it is the first place I stop when I enter the garden. It is time for me to get serious and create a selective set of images that interprets this beautiful work of nature through my eyes.
“Signature Japanese Maple”
Portland Japanese Garden
Every time I visit the Portland Japanese Garden, I stop by and look under the branches of the signature Japanese maple that overlooks the main pond area. I get a completely different abstract view of the garden looking through the branches and leaves.
This star attraction is meticulously pruned to create the maple’s beautiful structure. The environment in the Portland garden is perfect for Japanese maples and their delicate pruned structure. In our Central Washington Heatherwood garden, we don’t the same luxury. Because of the harsh direct sunlight, we need to keep a heavy layer of leaves on the maples to protect them. We can still have a similar overall shape, but not the delicate loose layering of maples in a less harsh environment.
“Grand Overview”
Portland Japanese Garden
Summertime in a Japanese garden is a texture of shades of green with an occasional hint of subdued color. It is a combined texture of rounded and vertical shapes. Here in the Portland Japanese Garden, every spot is filled in with various points of interest. Various shrubs and ground covers provide the understory. Different species of Japanese maples are the primary base of interest. Tall conifers are the backdrop for this overview scene of the garden.
As I sit and look over our Heaterwood Japanese garden, I let my imagination flow and dream what our garden may be for future generations to enjoy.
“Oregon Wine Country”
Dundee Hills, Oregon
It was a hot 90 degree day as we traveled around the Dundee Hills above the Willamette Valley. As we drove between wineries we enjoyed the beautiful scenes in the wine country. The sky was bright without a cloud. Rows and rows of grape vines spread across the hills. We saw this huge live oak on a crest of a hill and just had to stop and enjoy the bucolic countryside. And, the wine was wonderful!!!
