Sango Kaku Abstract
Heatherwood Autumn
Reds oranges yellows mix
My eyes gently slowly close
Dreams memories emerge.
Many times when something catches my eye, I don’t know why. I turn and tilt my head, walk around, and move closer. I then squint my eyes and discover why.
Upper Grass Bed
Heatherwood Autumn
When I first moved in, this area was an ugly weed patch on the edge of my neighbor’s property. It is on a steep hill side and not visible from our neighbor’s upper yard. It was directly facing our upper lawn and was an eyesore. I asked if I could experiment a little with grasses and maintain the area. They gladly agreed. Now I have a colorful low maintenance planting bed that ties the neighbor’s yard to ours. And our neighbor has a colorful border of grasses that they do not have to maintain.
Looking Through the Upper Garden
Heatherwood Autumn
Several walkers pass by our garden on their daily walks. One of Heatherwood’s design objectives was to provide view windows through the garden up to the ridge above. This image is taken from the road through one of the windows into our upper garden. Frequently a walker will stop for a minute or two to take a peek.
Woodland Edge
Heatherwood Autumn
Fall color abounds in Heatherwood on a beautiful autumn day. Just six years ago this was just a pasture with only the background birches. It is amazing how fast nature takes hold. We are pretty much finished with the design in this woodland area. Next year we will focus on another corner of the garden.
Dogwoods and Selah Bluff
Heatherwood Autumn
A planting bed of grasses and deciduous shrubs separate Heatherwood from our neighbor’s back yard. As we were designing the lower part of our garden area, we reviewed our concepts with our neighbors. We wanted to make sure that what we planted did not distract from their view of the bluff looking over our yards. This is their view from their back yard looking northeast up toward the surrounding hills. We both think the design has worked out!
Fall Grasses and Perennials
Heatherwood Meadow
How fast the fall colors are changing. It is difficult keeping up with the daily changes in the garden. The garden seems to be a little mixed up this fall. Some plants seem to be peaking earlier than normal while others seem to be lagging behind. Right now, the meadow seems to be in its peak fall glory. The grasses are golden with a remaining hint of summer green. The sedums have turned into their autumn gold and orange. The asters are in full bloom with their showy bright purple coat. Most of the perennials have faded in color, but have interesting spent blooms full of seeds for the birds. Every once in a while a bright new bloom pops up like those of the red hot pokers. Throughout the garden the red twig dogwoods are displaying their bright red, yellow, and orange fall foliage. Every day is a treat!
Viridis Japanese Maple
Heatherwood Early Fall
Our green Viridis maple is changing to its fall orange as it patiently watches over our garden waterfall. Each year it extends further toward the falling water. The combination of the flowing water and the flowing branches of the Viridis is one of my favorite scenes I keep coming back to.
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!
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