“Rock Garden Color”
Heatherwood Early Summer
Following a mild spring, our first week of summer is warming up. We are expecting the temperature to rise to the mid 90’s by this weekend. We will need to closely monitor our watering sequences to make sure we get enough, but not too much, water to our plants. In the meantime we will enjoy our early morning coffee and late afternoon wine in the garden.
“Redbud Leaf Abstract”
Heatherwood Summer
As I say goodbye to spring with an abstract, I will welcome in summer with an abstract as well. We have been very fortunate to have had mild weather with adequate moisture this spring, while many parts of the country are in a severe drought and/or are having extremely high temperatures. Heatherwood’s trees, shrubs, and perennials are doing very well. I hope that the moderate weather will continue through the summer, so the new plants will get a chance to become well established.
My thoughts are with others as they face the harsh conditions across the country.
“Yarrow Abstract”
Heatherwood Spring
Today is the last day of spring. It is time to say goodbye to most of the flowering trees and shrubs and to say hello to the flowering perennials. We still have several shrubs (viburnums and nine-bark) that are in their last stage of bloom plus several hydrangeas that will bloom later this summer. Our perennials are just starting to display their summer glory.
“View From the Road”
Heatherwood
This is the view from the roadside looking over Heatherwood’s front planting bed shown in my previous post. From here the tree plantings channel the viewers eyes up and then down through the lower yard then up to the hills separating Selah from Yakima. The feeling we are trying to impart is “Welcome to enjoy the view of the garden!”
“Front Border”
Heatherwood
We like to share the colors and textures of our garden with our neighbors as they stroll along the neighborhood road. It is a good place to take a break to stop and chat and exchange the neighborhood news.
This area is designed to have four season interest with various colors, shapes and textures. Plant heights are kept low to encourage the walker to look up and have a nice view through the garden. (I will show the view in a future post.) The challenge in encouraging one to look up into the garden is also to shield the view to the house and garage. To address this challenge, we have planted an informal border of trees and shrubs to shield the view to the house.
“Zelkova Neck”
Heatherwood Lower Lawn
One way we separate parts of Heatherwood is to narrow a section of our lawn down to create a pathway between sections. We have placed various shrubs and trees to develop chute or tunnel-like divisions. For this “neck” we have planted a hedge of spirea which will mature at about 4 feet wide and high. In addition, we have added two Wireless Zelkova trees to anchor separation. When they mature, their top branches will flow over the lawn and meet, creating a tunnel like feeling. The two lawn areas will be shielded from each other. A garden stroller will move from one open lawn area through the tunnel to a new surprise as the the view again opens up to a different part of the garden.
It will take years for Heatherwood’s plantings to reach the mature state that is described above. I close my eyes and smile as I dream about my vision of what the garden will be. But most important, I open my eyes, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment of the wonderful surroundings and search for what is around the next bend.
“Blooming Ninebark”
Heatherwood Late Spring
These two Coppertina Ninebark with their flower-laden flowing branches remind me of a pair of Octopodes … or should I say Octopi, or is it Octopuses. All three terms are frequently used, but only one is correct. Octopuses is the correct term. Mary is an English teacher and does not appreciate when I misspell a word. She constantly advises me to “Look it up!” So I did and learned the correct usage.
On a breezy day, the branches flow magically back and forth in the wind. It makes me feel like the garden is alive with monsters hiding around the bends of the pathways.
“Lower Patio Garden”
Heatherwood Spring
The lower patio garden transitions a visitor from the rock garden shown in my previous post to the central meadow. Plants in the lower patio garden replicate those in both the rock garden and meadow. Ground covers and shrubs present in the rock garden are planted in the steeper parts of the patio garden. Perennials and grasses found in the meadow are planted in the flatter areas. In addition, a couple of trees help transition the view to the crabapple grove further below.
The different areas of Heatherwood are designed to flow into one another working together to provide a common theme. One of the challenges we face every day is where to sit and enjoy a morning cup of coffee, an afternoon beverage, or just a peaceful relaxing moment.
“Rock Garden Hillside”
Heatherwood Late Spring
After exploring another garden, it is always good to come back home and see what is happening here at Heatherwood. This is especially true in late spring when it feels like the garden is going to burst out in full bloom at any moment.
This rock garden area separates the lawn at the house level from the lawn and meadow below, which I used to refer to as the “Lower 40”. A path, edged with basalt boulders, winds down back and forth from the upper to the lower lawn. Various creeping thymes, cotoneasters, and sedums fill in between the rocks and onto the recessed gravel pathway. Other perennials and evergreen shrubs provide contrast and stability to the garden. We constructed and planted this area only two springs ago. It is hard to believe how fast it is filling in.
“Full Moon Japanese Maple and Fern”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
What is beauty? Beauty is hard to explain. Everyone has their own perspective of what beauty is. Beauty applies to all five senses. I am a visual person, so seeing beauty is my dominant perspective. It lies in the vision of a grand vista of a natural landscape or in small vignettes of companion plants like in the above image. It can be a large architectural structure or a small piece of sculpture. It can be man-made or nature or a combination of both. It can be a person or an inanimate object. As I keep my mind and eyes open, I can find some kind of beauty everywhere I look.
Many times when I see beauty, I stop and contemplate. My other senses then kick in, and I notice the beautiful feeling of a breeze on my cheek or the sounds of a gurgling stream. I can smell the wonderful aroma from a street food cart as I look up at a skyscraper or from the scent of a flower as I walk through a garden. I can see the beauty of a young mother holding her young child and feel the love between them. Beauty is a gift that surrounds us at all times. Enjoy the moment!