Category Archives: Details

The Value of a Daily Stroll

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“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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Early Morning Sunshine

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“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!

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“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

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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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First Bloom of the Year

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Jelena Witch Hazel
Heatherwood Winter

Just before the arctic blast is suppose to hit us, our witch hazels are blooming. Over the years, witch hazels have been the harbinger of the coming spring in our winter gardens. We planted our first witch hazels in our Woodinville, WA garden. They were planted them later in the spring after their blooms had been replaced by leaves. I didn’t know what to expect the next winter, but in late January we were pleasantly surprised by the little fragile blooms. When we lived in the Philadelphia area, we frequently made the adventure down to Longwood Gardens to see and photograph the displays of large (10 foot) yellow, orange, and red witch hazels. Here at Heatherwood, we planted six Diane and Jelena witch hazels last spring and are enjoying their first winter bloom now. Our little guys are only 12-18 inches tall. They look a little lonely in the large open planting areas. Looking back on the Longwood Garden specimens, I can visualize the beauty in which they will grace our winter garden as they mature.

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Persistent

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“Japanese Maple in Snow”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

This Japanese Maple is persistent. It just will not drop its leaves. Most of our Japanese Maples have a similar habit. They add to contrasting colors in the winter landscape as well as provide interesting “nesting spots” for winter snow. If the snow gets too heavy, we do have to gently dust it off the fragile branches to protect them from breaking. Later in the early spring we also need to gently run our hands through the branches to remove the leaves on some of the trees to prepare for the fresh new growth.

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Hana Matoi #3

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Hana Matoi Late Fall Growth
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

A few red and green leaves of late autumn growth contrast against the dried brown leaves of the spent leaves. Ice plants in their red and yellow winter color on the hillside frame the new leaves.

Below, the fragile disectum leaves of the Hana Matoi shade the spreading blue purplish green thyme below.

This concludes my Hana Matoi mini-project. Or does it? These six images in the last 3 posts were all taken on an overcast day. Early morning light and late afternoon light provide many additional perspectives. Different seasons display different colors. Snow, ice, rain, and dew create magical views. And there are always an abundance of opportunities for abstracts. An infinite number of images are yet to be discovered.

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Hana Matoi #2

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Hana Matoi Looking Down
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

This post continues my Hana Matoi mini project. Looking for a different perspective, I walked up and leaned into the tree. I stood on my tip toes, held my camera above my head and took this image looking down through the top leaves to highlight the structure of the trunk and branches. It looks like a good spot for a bird to nest.

The image below is from a perspective of walking on a semi-hidden path adjacent to the main Japanese garden path. The Hokkeji pulls a visitor’s eyes to the Hana Matoi and the garden hillside.

Hokkeji and Hana Matoi
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

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The Capitol Dome

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Capitol Dome Ceiling and Windows

‘The Apotheosis of Washington’
U.S. Capitol Dome

I have been in the Capitol several times. Each time I enter is a new experience. I don’t know how to explain the feeling that engulfs me. It’s a combination of wonder, awe, respect, excitement, humility, pride, and much more. The above two images were taken looking directly up from near the center of the Capitol Rotunda. I was shivering with awe when I took these images and had a very difficult time trying to be steady enough to get a decent shot.

The Apotheosis of Washington was painted by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. It depicts George Washington rising to the heavens in glory. The fresco is 180 feet above the Rotunda floor.

‘Washington, Liberty, and Victory/Fame’

George Washington is flanked by two female figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame. Thirteen maidens, symbolizing the 13 original states, surround the three main figures. Six groups of figures are painted around Washington, Liberty, Victory/Fame, and the thirteen maidens. These represent war, science, marine, commerce, mechanics, and agriculture.

‘War’

‘War’ is depicted by Armed Freedom and Eagle defeating Tyranny and Kingly Power.

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Don’t Let Your Head Hang Down!

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Snow Covered Grasses
Heatherwood, Winter

It has been a long and difficult year. But, that is not a reason to let my head hang down. With the Covid-19 pandemic and all the political discord our lives have changed. They will never be the same. We have learned to cope with uncertainty and adjust. New ways of doing things have entered our life styles. That is not all bad.

Being newly-weds, the “stay-at-home” initiative has given Mary and me a lot of quality time to really get to know each other’s habits and interests. We have had a lot of time to discuss our feelings and opinions. We have had time to plan for many things we would like to do in the future. We miss not spending time with our families and friends but look even more forward to what the future will bring.

We are thankful for the challenge and joy that our new garden brings us. We excitedly have watched the garden form during the last two years. We enjoy our frequent strolls through the garden and appreciate those special moments as we sip our morning coffee or afternoon wine.

It has been a long and hard year! But, I can look up with a smile to the challenges and opportunities that a New Year will bring.

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