Tag Archives: Autumn

A Great Place to Relax

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Pond from Above
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The chairs next to the pond are a great place to relax and enjoy our Heatherwood Japanese garden. Frequently we start our day with a cup of coffee looking across the pond to the waterfalls above. In the late afternoon during a summer day it is great to enjoy a glass of wine or other beverage to mark the end of a work day. In the spring and fall when the harsh sun in not beating down, it is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy nature any time of the day.

A few days ago, we enjoyed sitting here and recalling good times with a wonderful long-term friend. We shared a bottle of wine that we had previously purchased on a road trip together a couple of years ago. These were precious moments.

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Mary’s Creation

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Under the Crabapple Tree
Heatherwood Early Autumn

The above intimate scene is Mary’s creation. As we have been developing Heatherwood, Mary has become quite a learning gardener. Moving from a small city lot with just a few shrubs and roses to a 4-acre plot, she has been with me as we designed and constructed our Heatherwood garden. Each day she learns a little bit more and becomes deeper involved. This year she selected a few annuals and planted them underneath a couple of trees in our Japanese garden area. They grace key areas and add extra interest. They are show stoppers as we walk through the garden.

Thank you Mary!

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Good Morning World !

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Sunrise Over the Garden
Heatherwood, Early Autumn

We were given a glorious Good Morning gift a few days ago. It was a wonderful way to start the day. As the sun rose, the sky was a beautiful pinkish gold. Through the clouds it cast a warm pink blanket over our Heatherwood garden and the valley below. As the day’s beauty was released, it gave me a feeling of warm peace. Even with all the strife that is currently going on, there is still a lot of wonder and beauty that reminds me of the many things that are right about our world. It is all our challenge to spread this among the peoples of our world.

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Garden Design In Progress

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Stream & Pond Edge
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

We continually add young plants to our Heatherwood garden. A year ago, we planted two Japanese maples next to our stream and pond area. The one on the right side of the image is a Ryu Sei. It will grow about 4-6 ft. tall then weep down onto the stream’s edge. The one on the top left of the image is a Scolopendrifolium, commonly called a Fingerleaf Japanese maple. It will grow to about 5 feet tall and form an umbrella over the Yukimi Japanese lantern. Our design intent is to create a naturalistic environment where plants, rocks, water, and structures all blend together to develop a peaceful feeling.

Each year we watch how the plants mature as well as add a few new plants to fill in some of the bare areas. Slowly and patiently we enjoy how the garden gets closer and closer to our vision. Now, we will grab our morning coffee and sit by the stream.

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A Little Rain Drizzle Pops Out the Color

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‘Selah Ridge Bluff’
Heatherwood, Early Fall

When I walk out to our driveway to get into my car, I look up and see this stately bluff looking over me. A little rain drizzle perks up the colors in our Heatherwood garden. Soon the dogwood will brighten up with its reddish purple leaves and bright red berries. Behind, the large maple tree will turn to a brilliant red.

P.S. The little black spec in the upper right corner of the sky (if you can see it) is one of our neighborhood red-tail hawks.

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Moving From the Badlands

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‘Late Afternoon Sunlight’
Heatherwood, Early Fall

Today, I’m moving from the Badlands of South Dakota to the Good Lands of our Heatherwood Eastern Washington garden. The hills and terrain of the Badlands are beautiful, so are the hills of Eastern Washington. Fall has definitely started. Our oak leaf hydrangeas, viburnums, spirea, and red/yellow-twig dogwood shrubs are starting to display their bright fall colors. Something different is starting to change each day. It is difficult to keep up photographing all the changes.

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Winter Mushrooms

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“Snow Covered Yarrow and Rudbeckia”
Heatherwood Meadow

When I first saw this clump of snow-covered yarrow and rudbeckia, I thought that they looked like a field of mushrooms. Mary thought that they looked like a field of cotton. What is the purpose of a garden but to enjoy, dream, and imagine!

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Still Hanging On

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“October Glory Maple & Mountain Lantern”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

This scene is from the top of the garden above our “Perch” sitting area. The leaves of the October Glory are still hanging on. Last year at this time, they had all fallen. They make a nice contrasting interest against the white snow. The yellowish Wintersonne Mugo Pine on the right has not attained its winter color yet. In about a month, it will be bright yellow. Just out of view on the left side of the image is a winterberry holly. In the winter, the leaves will fall, leaving clusters of bright red berries. The combination of other Japanese hollies, winterberry hollies, and green and yellow conifers, along with the Japanese mountain lantern will provide an attractive winter garden vignette. We just need to give it time.

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I Just Turned 90 Degrees

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“Looking East”
Heatherwood Snow

I did not have to move far from the spot where I created yesterday’s post for today’s image I took a step or two, then turned toward the East. This image is looking through the northern slope of the Japanese-influenced part of our garden. For this image, I was looking for the contrasts of the snow as well as the subdued winter colors. Again, the biggest contrast is the vegetated garden against the barren background Selah Bluff.

The two red maples in the middle of the image are also a personal interest of mine. They represent a passage of time. The little red Japanese maple in the foreground-left was planted late summer this year as one of our newest additions to the Japanese garden. The larger October Glory maple in the background-right was planted in 2016, the first year that I had moved back to Selah. What a difference in maturity six years makes. It helps me visualize what the garden will look like in the coming years.

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First Real Snowfall of the Season

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“Almost Winter”
Heatherwood

Yesterday we got our first real snowfall of the season. When we got up, 4-5 inches of snow covered the ground. It was beautiful.

It is great to be retired. Instead of shoveling out the car to go to work, I grabbed my camera and strolled through the garden making tracks in the pristine layer of snow. It was a much nicer way to start the day. Snow plowing could wait until I got finished enjoying the fresh snow.

I purposefully set out to do my best to create images that represent the beauty of a winter garden. I focused on shapes, forms, residual color, and contrasts. Hopefully I was able to create enough images for a winter garden chapter in by annual Heatherwood Highlights book.

Today’s image focus is shapes and forms, contrasts of the white snow on the evergreens, and the contrast of a lush garden environment against the barren background hill. The scene is one of my favorite views year around from our garden.

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