Category Archives: The Intimate Landscape

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

Spring Color #3

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Cornelian Cherry Dogwood
Heatherwood Spring

The Cornelian Cherry dogwood, star magnolias, and the forsythia are the first trees to display their blooms. They shortly follow the witch hazels in the sequence of color in our Heatherwood garden.

The first Cornelian Cherry dogwood that I discovered was in the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. I had no idea what it was. When it broke out in bloom it lit up the whole end of the Arboretum. I had to wait fifteen years to have one of my own!

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Spring Color #2

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Okame Cherry
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Strolling in the Yakima Arboretum, I noticed the bright pink of the Okame cherries in the flowering cherry collection next to the Japanese Garden. I just had to have one for our Heatherwood garden. This one, still in its pot, has since found a spot in our Japanese garden area. It adds to our collection of Akebono, Pink Flair, Kawansan, and two unknown varieties. We now have 17 flowering cherries that brighten our spring garden.

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Spring Colors #1

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Blue Spruces, Flowering Plum, & Louie White Pine
Heatherwood Spring

Early spring has brought a plethora of color to our Heatherwood garden. I have been so busy working in the garden expanding a new conifer garden that I have not taken the time to photograph the evolving spring color. Over the next several posts, I will try to record some of the spring evolution in the garden.

This image shows the mid-morning sunlight exposing the flowering plum, two blue spruces, a Louie Eastern White Pine and an Ivory Halo red-twig dogwood. The pink and chartreuse provide a nice contrast to the blue spruces. This is one of the colorful vignettes that we see from our upper patio.

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Taking Time to Enjoy While Working

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Multiple Late Winter Colors
Heatherwood Side Yard

We have been busy working over our lower southwest garden area. Our vision is to create a conifer and Japanese maple retreat. While working, I enjoy taking a break and walking around other parts of Heatherwood to enjoy the progress that we have made in the last five to six years. When I first moved in, this area was a lawn area with two Colorado blue spruces. Our pump house was slightly behind and between the two trees. Five years ago, we took out a big chunk of lawn and planted various conifers, shrubs, deciduous trees, and ground covers. They have matured to create a beautiful all season background for our side yard. Five years from now, I vision our southwest corner will be at a similar state of maturity.

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Grasses are Cut and the Beds are Clean

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Lower Yard
Heatherwood Late Winter

We are making progress on our late-winter/early-spring yard cleanup. The grasses are cut, key shrubs pruned, and the beds are cleaned. Now I will be pruning our Japanese Maples and preparing for our 2025 spring project. Spring is a busy and beautiful time in our Heatherwood Eden.

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Here Comes Spring

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Blue Ice Arizona Cypress
Heatherwood SW Conifer Corner

I visualize this beautiful Arizona Cypress holding out its arms (branches) welcoming the upcoming spring. We have just three weeks until the first official day of spring. With the recent nice weather, we have made good progress in our late winter/early spring garden preparation. The ornamental grasses, perennials, and several shrubs have been trimmed back. Next week I will start pruning the Japanese maples.

Heatherwood’s southwest corner, where this Arizona Cypress is located, is our next major project. Next week we will start to carve out a meandering path, add berms, and place rocks to prepare the area for spring planting. Our target is to create a special place to enjoy specimen conifers and Japanese maples.

Spring is just around the corner!

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Start of Spring Cleanup

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Winter Color
Heatherwood Lower Garden

Warm weather over the weekend melted most of the snow. The winter colors of the garden add highlights throughout. We have enjoyed them through the season. Now it is time to start our winter/spring cleanup. Out come the pruning shears and hedge trimmers to cut back the grasses, perennials, and some of the deciduous shrubs. Cutting back the plants now will give them a head start to begin their spring growth. Soon, we will be starting our 2015 landscape project for our southwest corner.

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Goodbye … I hope

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Snow on the Shrubs
Heatherwood Winter

During the last couple of weeks we have had three snowfalls. Each one has been fairly light. They have rapidly melted as the temperatures have been in the mid 40’s. Next week the forecast is to be in the mid 50’s. I hope it will be goodbye to the snow for this season.

We will be starting our spring cleanup in our Heatherwood garden next week with pruning our red & yellow twig dogwoods and nine bark shrubs and cutting back our grasses and perennials. By mid-March, I hope to be carving out new paths and adding berms in the southwest portion of the property. My vision is to create a meandering path through a conifer display garden. The new plantings are targeted to begin in mid April when the irrigation is turned on. It will be a busy spring!

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Ground Covers Add Winter Color

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Winter Ground Covers
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

A touch of frost highlight these winter ground covers. These three ground covers add a little winter flare to the garden. The foreground Siberian Cypress changes from its summer grey-green to its winter bronze color. The Mahonia in the center adds red, oranges, and purples to its winter cloak. In the background, the Blue Rug juniper adds a cool blue to the scene. Winter is not dull in Heatherwood.

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