Winter Waterfall
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
It is now winter. Snow is suppose to be on the ground. Santa needs the snow to land his sled on. Not this year here in Eastern Washington. Oh well, I can always close my eyes and imagine!
The Woodland on a Bright Winter Day
Heatherwood Early Winter
It is hard to believe that it is December 23, just two days before Christmas. Our early snowfall has vanished. Today was an absolutely gorgeous early winter day. The sky was blue. Warm winter sunshine spread across our Heatherwood garden. Even though I had a lot to do inside, I could not help myself from strolling around our little Eden with my camera.
Based on today’s beauty and looking ahead to the forecast, it does not look like we will have a white Christmas. Last year we were blessed with snow. This year we will be blessed with what ever nature will bring. We look forward to a beautiful day filled with family and friends as we reflect upon the wonder of Christmas.
Woodland Path in Late Fall
Woodland Path in Early Spring
I love the four seasons. Above is one of the reasons. In early spring the red buds are bursting and the daffodils are blooming. Leaves on the woodland maples are just starting to emerge. Six months later, the leaves on the red buds have dropped and the leaves on the maples have turned brown and are just starting to drop. The foliage on the perennials have turned brown and are starting to die back. As winter moves in, the branches of the red and yellow twig dogwoods along with the red winterberries will provide winter color to the woodland.
Snow-covered Maple Tree Leaves
Heatherwood Woodland
Our October Glory maples are one of the last trees to display their fall colors and to drop their leaves. The first two light snowfalls this year sprinkled the leaves with patches of white, leaving a beautiful woodland winter scene. Last year, an early heavy snowfall blanketed the branches with a layer of heavy snow. Several large branches bent over and broke, leaving large wholes in the tree’s shapes. This year, we have not seen any damage, yet!
Winter Color
Heatherwood Lower Garden
Even when the ground is covered with snow, the color of Heatherwood shines through. This is one of my favorite intimate scenes in our lower garden. The bronze of the sawtooth oak, the red of the oak leaf hydrangeas, the yellow of the yellow-twig dogwood, the the grey-blue of the blue spruce, the purple-brown of the nine-bark, and the background orange and green highlight the winter garden.
This image was taken during our first snow about a week ago. Today we are getting our second snowfall of the season. It looks like it will be a big one. The good news is that I have my tractor back from its seasonal maintenance check up to plow the driveway. The bad news is that we have not put on our snow tires yet.
Looking Up to Selah Ridge
Heatherwood, First Snow
We had our first snow of the season a couple of days ago. After the snow flurries stopped, the sky opened up to this beautiful blue sky. Off I went with my camera! The remaining late fall color created a nice contrast against the fresh snow. It will be several months before we will have a morning cup of coffee here in one of our little garden hideaways.
Looking in from the Driveway
Heatherwood Autumn
This is one of the several views that we have designed into our Heatherwood garden. Its purpose is to create an interesting view into the garden from the street as walkers stroll past our driveway. Late autumn provides beautiful color contrasts with the whites of the birch limbs against the reds of the Autumn Glory maples. The foreground of grasses, perennials and evergreen shrubs give it a little extra punch.
It is our pleasure to share the garden with our neighbors to brighten their days as well as ours.
Path to Center Circle
Heatherwood Autumn
Oranges, reds, yellows, and browns are the colors of Thanksgiving. Heatherwood, in the late fall, displays these colors throughout the garden. We cook our Thanksgiving turkey outside. So even with all the football games going on, we venture out every half hour or so and enjoy the fall colors around us.
We have so much to be thankful for, including this little spot of Eden. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving as you enjoy it with family, friends, loved ones, and each other!
K & M
Winter Garden Color in the Lower Garden
Heatherwood Autumn
We designed Heatherwood to have color throughout all four seasons. Color provided by the Midwinter Fire, red-twig, and yellow-twig dogwoods complements the brightness and textures of the ornamental grasses. In a few years, the evergreen trees will get taller creating a nice green background. Together they all provide brightness to a dreary late fall day.
This part of the garden is three years old. We have enjoyed watching the plants grow from one gallon pots to these mid-sized shrubs and grasses. It will take a couple more years for them to fill in and mature into “garden-sized” plants. By then, the evergreens will have grown several feet taller. Watching a garden grow provides so much enjoyment for Mary and I!
Blue Sky Over Cherry Allee
Heatherwood Autumn
Some days are stunning. Heatherwood and the surrounding hills were absolutely beautiful on this late afternoon. Colors just popped out, especially the golden browns of the ornamental grasses and the panicle hydrangeas. The blue skies said summer, the garden colors said fall. I just strolled through the garden absorbing the warm afternoon sun and the colors of autumn. It was a great day!