Category Archives: The Intimate Landscape

The small details, shapes, and textures that catch my eye.

French Tapestry

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Tri-color Sedum Abstract
Heatherwood, Fall

Strolling in our garden on a crisp frosty morning, I looked down and saw an interesting pattern on the ground. It reminded me of French tapestry wall coverings I had seen on some of the old historic homes on the East Coast. I took a little artistic liberty and enhanced the image with Topaz Impression to create this final image. Squint your eyes and think of some of those wall paper covered walls on those wonderful early 19th century historic homes.

For reference, below is the base image prior to adding the Topaz enhancement.

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Searching for Light

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Heaherwood Japanese Garden

After a day of heavy frost, we had a day of beautiful morning sunshine. During my morning walk I focused on finding the light. The morning sun made the various colors of our late fall/early winter garden pop out in brilliant shades and hues. Water droplets on tree branches and leaves sparkled like little stars. Backlit leaves and grasses displayed semi-transparent yellow and orange shapes that fluttered in a gentle breeze. It was a beautiful morning!

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Full Perspective

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“Garden Perspectives”
Heatherwood, Late Fall

This image shows several perspectives of our Heatherwood garden. The bottom half comprises the meadow area with various perennials and grasses. A section of lawn separates the meadow from a hillside rock garden with its small trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground cover. Another strip of lawn separates the rock garden from the Japanese garden at the top of the image. Through the garden, plants have been selected to provide seasonal interest throughout the four seasons of the year.

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Contrast

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Leaf in Snow Covered Grass
Heatherwood Autumn

We received a light covering of snow last night. Once the sun lit up the yard, I grabbed my camera and went out for a little walk before the snow melted.

Why did I take this image? The lone leaf was an anomaly in the snow covered grass. It created contrast. It was a contrast of color (orange vs white), size and shape (large oval vs lines and small crystals), temperature (warm vs cold), and texture (large semi-smooth vs small points and lines). Did I see a leaf or was it a lone colorful object in a sea of white spattered with green protrusions?

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Late Morning Sun Brilliance

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Rock Garden
Heatherwood Fall

Colors in our rock garden continue to change as fall turns to winter. The ice plant ground cover changes from summer’s light yellow green to winter’s bright red. Several of the evergreens turn to bright yellow and yellow-greens for a winter contrast. Perennials change to deep maroons and different shades of orange-browns. Color continues to persist into the winter. What will next month bring?

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Warm Way to Start the Day

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Morning Sunlight on Birches
Heatherwood Fall

Morning sunlight sets our birches on fire. Even with the patches of frost on the ground, the birches provide me warmth. Early morning and late afternoon rays highlight Heatherwood’s golden grasses as they rake across the flowing seed heads. Spent, semi-transparent perennial leaves glow as the low light strike them. The few remaining tree leaves flitter as the light is reflected from their shiny surfaces. Nature’s wonders never let me down.

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Fall Memory

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“Autumn Blaze”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden Fall

Today I will shut off the final stream of water for our waterfall and stream. The last leaves of the maple are now gone. Sadly it is time to prepare for the freezing temperatures of the coming winter. The memory of autumn’s brilliance against the flowing water of our waterfall will stick in my mind until next spring.

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A Wide Perspective

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Limber Pine Cones and Waterfall
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Every time I walk through our garden I get a different perspective. This day, I chose to walk around with my camera and a wide-angle lens. I saw huge (8-inch) pine cones on one of our Limber Pines. With my wide-angle lens, I started searching for something interesting to complement the cones. Moving around the tree, our pond and waterfall appeared.

As I explore our garden I sometimes focus on details, sometimes on wide views, and sometimes on whatever catches my eye. Walking in the garden is always an adventure.

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Hail to the Chief … (Chief Joseph that is)

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Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine
Heatherwood Fall

Our Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pines have turned into their yellow winter glory early this year. Last year it was well into January before they reached this bright yellow shade. In April they start to turn light green and gradually turn to full green by summer. They are one of the all-season stars in Heatherwood’s Japanese garden.

Chief Joseph is a dwarf conifer growing only 2-4 inches per year. It reaches about 6 feet at 10 years and can grow to about 20 feet at maturity. Our two trees were planted last year and are about 3 feet tall.

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