Category Archives: Flora

It Is Still Fall After All

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“Rock Garden Path”
Heatherwood Fall

Last Friday morning, I went out for what I planned as a short stroll through our garden. Three hours later I came in for lunch. Late fall sunlight is beautiful across the Heatherwood landscape. I just kept wandering through the garden waiting for the next image to appear.

Heatherwood is still full of color, even after all the leaves have fallen from the trees. As winter approaches (snow is predicted this coming week), the colors still decorate our rock garden hillside. They will remain until next spring when the ground covers will transition back to their rich greens and the conifers loose their yellowish tinge.

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A Beautiful Gift

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“Late Afternoon Sunlight”
Heatherwood Rose Garden

It was a beautiful late autumn day. The sun was just about ready to fall behind the western hills. I was out strolling through the garden enjoying the warm sun and beautiful light shining across our Heatherwood lower garden. The last rays were caressing one of the late roses. It stood up beconing me to pay attention and photograph it. I made one image, then the sun dropped below the hill and the light was gone. What a wonderful gift to end the day!

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Play and Experiment

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“Thistle”
Heatherwood Late Fall

The best way to learn is to just do it, experiment and play. I just got a new Lensbaby lens to add to my arsenal of tools for macro photography. After watching several videos on using the Lensbaby by other photographers, I came away with the bottom line tip, “Put the lens on your camera for several weeks, and just go out, play, and experiment.” This image is one of my first experiments.

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Do You Believe It Is December?

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“December Rose”
Heatherwood Late Autumn

The roses are still blooming. It is hard to believe it is December! We deadheaded the roses late this year in mid-October. As a result, the roses didn’t get the message to stop putting out new growth and flower buds. We still have several emerging flower buds and new leaves on our roses. With the warm weather forecast, I predict that we will still have new roses blooming through mid-December.

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Browns and Golds of Autumn

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“Grass, Hydrangea, and Yellow Twig”
Heatherwood Late Fall

At times bright contrasts catch my eye. Other times a blend of subtle colors differences catch my eye. The browns and golds with their textural contrasts drew me to this vignette. As I walk around Heatherwood, I see various “pieces of art” scattered around the garden. They are always changing. Never do I see them the same way.

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Contrasts

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“Yellow Twig Dogwood & Red Bergenia”
Heatherwood Late Fall

Growing up, my favorite colors from my color crayon box were yellow and red. They were always the first crayons to be used up. It doesn’t surprise me that we have this color combination throughout Heatherwood. The bright red bergenia and the yellow twig dogwood provide an interesting contrast in both color and texture. Now we just need to add green ground cover to complete the vignette.

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Changing to Winter Color

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“Red Twig Dogwood Screen”
Heatherwood Late Fall

As we designed Heatherwood, we set a criteria to have varying color during all four seasons. To help accomplish this we planted an assortment of red twig, yellow twig, and multi-color twig dogwood shrubs throughout the garden. Several have already grown to the three-foot level like the red twig in the image above. They provide stand alone color as well as a screening effect in the garden. It will take two to three more years to get the full benefit of these shrubs.

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Happy Thanksgiving

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“Fothergilla and Maple Leaf”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Thanksgiving is a time to sit back, contemplate, and give thanks for the many things in the wonderful world around us. Everywhere I turn in our Heatherwood garden I see a little wonder of nature, This spent Japanese maple leaf among glorious reds, oranges, and yellows of a fothergilla highlights the beauty of the changing season. Noticing little things like the leaf on my daily strolls through our garden brings me excitement, peace, and balance. Being in nature frees up my mind from the many distractions of life and allows me to focus on what is most important to me. It reminds me to celebrate all the good that is in our world.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends, family, and loved ones! And, please take the time to give thanks for all the good around us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Desert Forest

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“Joshua Trees”
Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Have you ever seen a forest in the desert. Here in Joshua Tree National Park, the south eastern Mohave Desert is covered with this strange forest. It is truly a western scene. I can imagine cowboys riding through this desolate area. There is no water to be found for miles..

The Joshua Tree is the largest of the Yuccas, reaching 35- 40 feet tall. They can live up to 150 years. Some have even found to have lived 300 years. They are a tough plant!

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Contrast

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“Spent But Still in Fall Glory”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Today’s image is quite a contrast to my last B&W post. This ‘Waterfall’ Japanese Maple decided to show off a few of its remaining leaves against the background of a brilliant Fothergilla. Heatherwood is still full of fall splendor. As one plant loses it color, another blossoms out in its fall glory. Every day in our garden brings change and a new perspective … just like life. It is our opportunity and challenge to make the best out of each new day.

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