“Picea Pusch”
Heatherwood Spring
There is always a surprise almost everywhere we look in our spring garden. We have several of these little ‘Picea Pusch’ Norway spruce shrubs scattered along paths in Heatherwood’s Japanese garden. In the spring, vibrant red cones appear at the tips of new growth. By mid-summer, they turn to their brown seed cones. New spring growth abounds in our little Eden.
“Purple Lilac Buds”
Heatherwood Spring
Our lilacs are getting ready to burst out into their spring bloom. I planted a row of lilacs along the north eastern part of our property about five years ago. The bushes were about 18 inches tall. The first year, each plant had only a couple of blossoms. Now they are over six feet tall and are laden with beautiful blooms. One of the things I enjoy the most about our garden is watching how plants grow and mature over time.
“Pink Cherokee Chief Dogwood”
Heatherwood Spring
After the early blooming yellow Cornelian Cherry dogwood, our pink Cherokee Chiefs are the next dogwoods to bloom. The sepals are just starting to spread now. In a day or two, I anticipate that they will be in full bloom.
Our two pink dogwoods were here when I first moved to our Selah home in 2016. They greet us as well as visitors as we/they enter our upper driveway.
“Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Bloom”
Heatherwood Spring
Our Cornelian Cherry Dogwood is one of the first bloomers of the year in early March. The blooms have remained for over a month! They start off as little yellow “puff-balls” then mature into graceful blossoms as the sepals spread out. This beautiful little tree remains a star of the garden through early spring!
There is so much going on in the garden as the temperatures start to rise this spring. I discover new tiny leaves, bulging buds, new baby conifer cones, along with new blossoms every day. I enjoy just walking through the garden examining the changing details of all the new life! It’s a wonderful way to start the day.
“Lichen”
Heatherwood Winter
From the spot I took the image for my last post, I looked up the hillside and saw some interesting lichen on a boulder. It was another opportunity to let my imagination flow with my camera!
“Japanese Maple Leaf on Phlox”
Heatherwood Winter
I enjoy the little things in the garden. A couple of days ago, I took a short stroll with my macro lens just looking for little things of contrast and interest. I looked down and noticed a single Japanese maple leaf from last year lying across the new growth of the a mound of phlox ground cover. The tips of the maple leaf accentuated the tips of the old and new growth of the phlox.
“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!
“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.
Perrotia Persica ‘Vanessa’ Bloom
Heatherwood Spring
I thought the perrotia blossoms I posted several days ago were the the mature bloom. I was totally surprised when I saw these little flowers. What I had seen previously were only the red tips. Like I have said many times before, I discover something new every time I walk through our garden. Now I know what a mature parrotia bloom looks like.
“Perrotia Persica”
Heatherwood Spring
I take a stroll in our Heatherwood garden almost every day. As I walk around I casually enjoy the garden surroundings. I am always looking for something new emerging. I have had my eye on this Perrotia persica for about three weekends waiting for its tiny flower buds to form and bloom. We planted this tree last summer after it had bloomed. Seeing these tiny one-half inch flowers is a real treat. They are very short lived, my daily “inspections” paid off!
In our previous garden in Pennsylvania, we had a Perrotia for over ten years. I never saw the full bloom. Thank you Heatherwood!