Category Archives: Our Garden

Images taken in our Pennsylvania garden

Bird Food

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“Rudbeckia and Grasses”
Heatherwood Winter

Birds love our winter garden. We enjoy watching them flying in and out of the meadow and into the crabapples feeding on seeds and fruit. Several of our blue spruces act as winter homes. We have noticed more birds this year than in prior years. As Heatherwood matures, we hope that the garden will become a little sanctuary for various bird species.

We leave the garden’s spent vegetation in place during the winter, not only for a food source for birds but also for its winter interest. How dull the garden would look if all the perennials were to be neatly cut back in the fall. We will save the neat look until the spring.

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Something a Little Different

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“Patio Rock Garden in Infrared”
Heatherwood Summer

I needed a little change, so I thought I would post an infrared image of our summer garden. This image is of our new rock garden planted during the spring of 2021. By early summer, the plants had taken hold and started blooming. It will take a couple of years for this area to catch up with our rock garden and meadow planting areas.

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In Search Of …

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“Winter Grass”
Heatherwood Meadow

Recently I have let myself become a little trapped into a photographic rut. Most of my work has been focused on recording what I see. At times the result has been “pretty pictures” that have not portrayed my real feelings behind what I see. I am in a state of being in search of what it takes to create a compelling image that is unique and reflects my feelings behind it.

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A Touch of Hoar Frost

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“Winter Beauty”
Heatherwood Meadow

I woke up to early morning fog covering Heatherwood. As the fog lifted, it left a little hoar frost across the garden. Out came my camera. It was time for a little winter walk in the garden. I initially was focusing on small details but was not coming up with much that I was happy with. I looked up and saw this set of golden layered grasses and the evergreen background. The grasses were tipped with a thin layer of hoar frost that provided highlights and a little winter contrast that separated the layers.

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One Down, Two to Go

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“Redbud Abstract”
Heatherwood Woodland Garden

One month of winter has passed by, only two more until the first day of spring arrives. Our grounds have been covered with snow since the last week in December. We have enjoyed the beauty of the Heatherwood’s winter scape, but are getting a little “itchy” to get out and work in the garden.

I try to live each day in the present, focusing on what I can do today to enjoy it to its fullest. Each and every day is a precious gift. I feel a little guilty when I start wishing for the future. But it is hard not to when there is such beauty ahead.

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A Winter Day

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“Birches and Clouds”
Heatherwood Winter

Dark billowy clouds and fresh snow,
Filtered through stately trees,
Open a new perspective.

I don’t often view these birches from this perspective taken from the road looking southeast into our garden. It is the least cluttered view of the set of trees. Taking this image reminds me to take my time and try to view my subject (and aspects of life) from many perspectives instead of just taking a “snap shot” from a convenient spot.

This set of birches frame in our woodland garden from the north. Heatherwood has three sets of three birches. Two sets were here when I moved to Selah in 2016. They were planted 12-15 years ago. The third set of birches are babies, just planted last year. Each set establishes an anchor spot in our garden.

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Before the Fog

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“Winter Morning Glow”
Heatherwood Winter

We have many wonderfully beautiful sunrises during the winter months at Heatherwood. We typically have low hanging clouds on the horizon. The pink skies radiate off the crisp winter snow. The color was spectacular. I looked up from my office desk and saw the sun just breaking over the cloud and fog covered horizon. I quickly grabbed my camera and went out to the patio in my slippers and tried to catch the sunrise on the distant hills. A few minutes later I looked down to our garden and saw this brilliant pink color reflecting off the snow. The fog was rolling in but had not reached the upper part of our garden yet. I was extremely lucky to have this little vignette right in front of me. Thank YOU!

This image was created about 1 hour prior to the image on my previous post. I could see the fog rolling up the hill until it totally encased our garden. As quickly as it rolled in it receded leaving a tell-tale trail of hoar frost.

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