Across from the Visitor’s Center
Banlands National Park
During my workshop in the Badlands, our group passed by the Visitor’s Center almost daily. This scene is just across the road from the center. Every day it had a different perspective. On my last day in the park, it was cloudy. The clouds and the filtered light accentuated the contrast between the hills and the sky as well as the trees. Infrared made the contrast even greater. I was thankful that I stayed an additional day in the park.
Color Against the Conifers
Heatherwood Summer
The sky is pure blue without a cloud. The eastern Washington summer is in full force. It has been very warm with the temperatures in the 90’s. The summer perennials are out in their full glory.
On a day like this, the garden opens up its full beauty. It provides a beautiful foreground to the surrounding hills as well as focused vignettes like the one above. Strolling around the garden brings me peace. I become absorbed in the environment surrounding me. I first take in the panoramic view of the garden and hills rising above. I get a feeling of perspective. After a bit of walking, little things pop up before me as small vignettes appear. I stop, observe, move around, and sometimes take a photo or two. Many times I move in and just touch the leaves, needles, or bark. Each plant has its own feeling. Some are soft and fuzzy, some have sharp points and are prickly, others are smooth, others are rough, and some even smell really good. The confusion of the world around me disappears. The clarity of nature’s beauty takes over. I am at peace.
Tricolor Beech and Linden
Heatherwood Garden
Too often we get trapped looking at something from only one way. Yesterday I was creating early summer images around the garden. I was intrigued with the multicolored leaves of our Tricolor Beech tree. I took several images of the leaves. The linden tree provided a soft background. As I took my last image of the leaves, I looked through them and saw a unique perspective of the linden tree. The pink of the beech framed the green-toned details of the linden. I created additional images from this second perspective. Sitting at my computer I could not make up my mind what image I liked the best. Why not combine them together into one image. I feel that the combined multi-exposure is better than either of the separate images.
This lesson can be applied to solving most issues. One does not necessarily need to choose between two good solutions. Many times a combined solution is the best.
Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
Today is the summer solstice. The garden is turning the corner from spring to summer. The new growth on the trees and shrubs are maturing into their summer shades. The perennials are starting to progress through their blooming schedule throughout the garden. As one fades, another picks up. The garden meadow areas are becoming a flush of colors and textures.
On the personal side, it has been one week since the Yakima Arboretum tour of gardens. The weeks of time in preparation have led a very successful tour of our Heatherwood garden and other gardens in the area. It’s time to turn the corner from a very busy time of garden preparation to a more relaxed time of enjoyment and contemplation in our Heaterwood Eden. Summer is here!
Looking Out My Office Window
Cloudy Heatherwood Day
Heatherwood brightens my morning even on a cloudy day. After finishing my daily journal entry, I turn around and view the beauty of our garden through my office window. The spring colors of the Japanese maples draw my attention. I gaze deeper and explore the various conifer shrubs and other trees. I look up and see the Selah ridge rising above into the sky. The scene entices me to get up, grab a cup of coffee and take a morning stroll with my dear Mary!
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.
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!
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.