Kotoji and Waterfall
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
From viewing the Yukimi and waterfall in my last post, I lift my eyes and see more beyond. The Kotoji Japanese lantern is the guardian of the stream and waterfalls. He straddles the stream’s edge with one leg in the stream and the other on land. In the evening, his light reflects along the rushing water.
Yukimi and Waterfall
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
From the Oribe and Tetsu Bachi in my last post, I can still hear the rushing water from behind. I turn and discover the source. Our little Yukimi Japanese lantern shaded by a Scolopendrifolium (I call it a ‘Fingerleaf’) Japanese maple overlooking a small waterfall flowing into the pond. The yellow orange spring color of the ‘Fingerleaf’ brightens up a shaded corner.
Oribe Guide Post, Tetsu Bachi Basin, & Kakehi Water Spout
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
A couple of days ago I posted an image of a garden path and asked, “What is beyond?” Taking a few steps down the path, I look to my left and see a set of Japanese stone sculptures peeking out behind a Japanese maple. The Oribe guide post directs me to a little side path while the Kakehi water spout and Tetsu Bachi welcomes me. The sound of rushing water gets louder. The water spout and basin is only a trickle. What is beyond?
Lower Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
Trees, shrubs, and ground covers frame the lower path of our Japanese garden area. I can hear water rushing, but there is no sign of it. What lurks around the corner of the path? Trees and carefully placed bends in the pathway obscure what is beyond.
The garden is filling in. It is hard to realize that only six years ago that this area was a grass lawn. ‘Visioneering’, imagination, design iterations, and some hard work formed the structure. Mother Nature did the rest!
Purple Rhody and Beyond
Heatherwood Upper Garden
Many times I stroll through the garden with my camera just enjoying the beauty without really searching for images. Then an image just pops up. I stop and enjoy the scene before me. I see shapes, textures, and colors. The individual subjects blend together to create a feeling of beauty. I enjoy the moment. Then I bring my camera up to my eye and create an image.
Summer Gold Japanese Maple
Heatherwood Woodland Garden
Walking along the woodland path I looked east and caught a glimpse of a Summer Gold Japanese maple through the blooming redbuds. The gold of the maple peeked through the pink blooms of the redbuds. The blue Storm Cloud amsonias provided a base for the image. The warm morning sun lit up the whole scene. Heatherwood is so full of color in the spring. Every morning the garden entices me to come out and take a stroll to see what new is blooming or emerging.
Even with all the turmoil that is going on, there are many wonderful things that are right with our world. We just need to open our eyes with an open mind.
Transitioning Blooms
Heatherwood Crabapple Grove
Heatherwood’s crabapple grove consists of a large drift of daffodils, multiple flowering viburnums, other woody shrubs and seven glorious crabapples. Spring starts with a flowing sea of daffodils. As they fade, the first crabapples start to bloom. Each of the crabapple species bloom at slightly different times. This gives us about a four week flow of colorful blooms. As the first crabapples start to fade, the viburnums start breaking out in full bloom. Over all, the crabapple grove gives us a constant change of blooming glory over the first two months of spring. In fall, a whole new series of interest is presented from fruit to changing fall leaf color.
Filigree Japanese Maple
Heatherwood Japanese Maple
During the last couple of weeks our Japanese maples have been gradually leafing out in their beautiful spring attire. Seventy Japanese maples grace the Heatherwood landscape with their beautiful colors and shapes. Their colors are constantly changing throughout the seasons spring through fall. Through the winter their bark and irregular branch structure add special interest to the landscape.
We planted this weeping Filigree maple last year to complement a mountain lantern along our upper Japanese garden path. In years to come its branches will flow over the rocks above the path providing even more interest.
This year we have added five maples in our southwest garden plus two more in our upper northwest lawn. In addition, we are nursing two small baby maples in pots. Adding new maples is always a challenge in our harsh shrub steppe environment in Central Washington. Finding just the right places to shield the maples from the harsh summer sun is getting difficult as the garden fills up. As the conifers and deciduous trees mature and get taller, new opportunities arise.