“Limelight Hydrangea and Yellow -Twig Dogwood”
Heatherwoood Winter
One of my favorite winter vignettes in the garden is the combination of the spent hydrangea flower heads and the yellow branches of the yellow-twig dogwood along the cherry allee. In the summer the view is quite different with the white flowers of the limelight hydrangeas contrasting with the bright green leaves of the yellow-twig dogwoods. Multi-season interest is one of the highlights of Heatherwood.
“Wireless Zelkova and Meadow”
Heatherwood Winter
This tree is one of a pair of Wireless Zelkovas that frame a neck of grass which connects two of our larger lawn areas. This one anchors the meadow, and its twin sister anchors the crabapple grove. Together, some day in the future, they will form an arch over the lawn path.
“Stick Trees”
Heatherwood Winter
Sometimes beauty is in simple peace. This is the feeling that I had as I stood at the entrance to the center circle planting area of our lower garden. The simple forms of the grasses aligning the path and the background trees in our and our neighbor’s gardens beckoned me to walk in and enjoy the peaceful setting.
Here’s the story behind the image’s title, “Stick Trees.” A very close friend of ours had spent all her early years in the Northwest where the natural vegetation is an abundance of tall beautiful evergreens. She got married and the first thing she and her husband did was to move to a woodland area in New Jersey in the middle of winter. When they arrived, she was very disappointed as she exclaimed that their woodland area was only “stick trees”. They did not stay there very long and soon moved back to Seattle and the tall evergreens, where they have happily lived ever after.
Whenever I see a grouping of deciduous trees without their leaves, I think of her.
“Cherry Allee Edge”
Heatherwood Winter
As I look down the edge of the Cherry Allee, I see the red of the cherry tree bark contrasting with the yellow bark of the yellow twig dogwoods. In the summer the leaves of the dogwoods extend up to the lower branches of the cherries. In a couple of years foliage of the trees and shrubs will form a natural wall framing the sides of the perennial plantings. As the cherry trees mature, they will form an archway over the center plantings.
“Foggy Sunrise”
Heatherwood Winter
Fog and early morning sunlight create a wonderful ethereal scene. Layers of fog and low lying clouds cover the valley below our home. The distant hills provide a dark hazy background silhouette in the middle. More low lying clouds obscure the Selah-Yakima gap and additional cloud layers cover the morning sky. Winter sunrises and sunsets are a special gift to start and end a day.
Many may think that the above image could be an abstract painting. It is not. The image is straight from my camera with only a very small amount of contrast added. Magic happens!
“Sedums and Grasses”
Heatherwood Winter
Simple patterns portray simple beauty. Simple little vignettes are scattered throughout Heatherwood’s gardens. My challenge is, “Which one do I pick to photograph today?”
“Frozen Waterfall”
Heatherwood Winter
The beauty of a trickling partially frozen waterfall is a special gift of a cold winter day.
A flowing trickle,
On a freezing winter day,
Beautiful crystals abound.
“Meadow Grasses”
Heatherwood Winter
During the next several posts, I will present various images of Heatherwood’s winter beauty. Even on a cloudy dreary day the contrasts of the golden grasses against the snow and dark background trees and foreground spent perennials create a beauty of their own.
“Daffodils”
Heatherwood Spring
We have had snow on the ground since Christmas. I am ready for a little spring snow created by a drift of daffodils. We have enjoyed the beauty of the snow covered garden, but are anxious to get back to gardening activities. There are bushes to prune, grasses to cut, perennials to trim back, and beds to prepare as we get ready for the spring planting season. We have a little over one month left before we start. In the mean time we are selecting new plants and planning our spring projects. Spring will be here before we know. Now it’s time to get back to enjoying the quiet beauty of winter.
“Selah-Naches Irrigation Flume”
Heatherwood View
After 129 years of use, the last section of our historic irrigation flume is being replaced by a modern pipeline. Today, this section was demolished. It was so sad to see it come down. To pay it a little tribute, I post-processed the image to give a little historic antique look. Memories!!!