“Emerging October Glory Maple Leaves” Heatherwood Spring
Here come the new leaves as a few of last year’s leaves hang on. Last fall we had some very warm weather, then a severe cold snap hit. Many of the maple leaves did not even get a chance to turn color. They just turned brown and hung on to the tree. When an early snow hit at the end of November, it loaded up wet snow on the leaf-covered branches causing several large branches to break. We are watching closely this spring to see if we need to do any additional pruning to help the trees recover.
Early morning sun shines brightly through the tip of one our Louie eastern white pines. A shaded blue spruce provides a great background. The bright yellow is the Louie’s winter shade. Soon it will be turning into a light green as spring moves to summer.
I love my morning walks in our Heatherwood garden.
“Cornelian Cherry Dogwood” Heatherwood, Early Spring
Our Cornelian cherry dogwood is Heatherwood’s first tree to start blooming. The buds are just starting to break. Soon the forsythia and star magnolias will start break into their spring glory as well.
The first day of spring was five days ago. Today is the first time that I have been able to take a walk in our garden with my camera to welcome spring.
Along our Japanese Garden walk I see another winter conifer contrast. This combination contrasts size, shape, and color. The green Jacobsen mugo pine in the foreground has an irregular growth habit. It contrasts with the round shape of the yellow Wintersonne mugo pine behind it. The Wintersonne transitions from summer green to winter yellow. The pyramidal dark green Tannenbaum dwarf mugo pine looks over the Wintersonne. At maturity the Tannenbaum will reach 12 to 15 feet. In the background is our second Chief Joseph.
“Louie Eastern White Pine & Colorado Blue Spruce” Heatherwood Winter
I only have to take a couple of steps and turn about 30 degrees to see another conifer contrast of yellow and blue. The yellow ‘Louie” eastern white pine stands out against the Colorado blue spruce background. Heathers and grasses surround the “Louie”. The grasses provide an interesting contrast of shapes and textures with the conifers. We leave the grasses in their natural state until mid-March when we cut them back. Like the Chief Joseph lodgepole pine, the ‘Louie” also turns to a summer green color.
“Chief Joseph and Sester’s Dwarf” Heatherwood Winter
Today was a bright, breezy, and chilly winter day. The temperature did not get above freezing. We will be planting a Winter Garden at the Yakima Area Arboretum this spring. Many of the plants we have chosen for the Arboretum are ones that we have planted at Heatherwood. I am preparing educational material for the garden, starting by collecting images for the various plants that we will be planting at the Arboretum. What a better place to start than in my home garden. So off I went, all bundled up, with my camera to create some images. Because of the cold, I was planning on just staying out for a half hour. Three hours later Mary came out to check on me. I was able to make a walk around our whole Heatherwood garden collecting images of winter color and textures.
One element of a winter garden is contrasting colors of various conifers. The image above is one of the most interesting contrasts of yellow and blue. The bright yellow of the Chief Joseph lodgepole pine makes a striking contrast with the bright blue of the Sester’s Dwarf blue spruce. Both are now the same size and are slow growing. We are looking for them to grow up together over the years. While the Sester’s Dwarf retains its blue color throughout the year, the Chief Joseph will turn back to green for the summer. They are a great pair for the garden.
In my New Year’s Day post I talked about dreaming for the garden to emerge in the spring. But, the weather is not cooperating as the temperature hovers around freezing. The forecast is for even more snow tonight and tomorrow. Oh well, I will have the opportunity to photograph fresh new snow.
After a wonderful White Christmas, the beautiful white wonderland continues. For the last several weeks, the temperatures have remained below freezing and our white winter wonderland continues to display its beauty. Many are not appreciative of the cold weather. Personally, I am thankful to have the beautiful serene snow-covered landscape surround us. I can alway layer up to go outside and enjoy our little Eden.
Alas, today the temperature is predicted to rise above freezing. It is forecasted to continue to warm up. A week from now the white wonderland may be gone, at least temporarily.
Winter scenes this year in Heatherwood look quite different than in years past. This past year we had a very warm summer that lasted well into October. Then we had a cold snap that delayed the display of fall color. The cold spell continued through November which left leaves on many deciduous trees. Then the snows and frost hit in early December. Now we have snow and frost covered leaves still hanging on the trees. The additional weight has caused several branches to break. Hopefully the leaves will fall soon leaving bare branches to provide their normal beauty to the winter scene.
