Tag Archives: Heatherwood

A Little Surprise

Garden Path Vignette
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Walking along our secret garden path I look down beneath a crabapple tree and discover this little vignette. Beneath the tree I see a combination of color, tones, shapes and textures with a little bit of garden art. The vignette is comprised of Japanese hollies, Japanese forest grass, white bleeding hearts, and an art piece from a local artist, Michelle Wyles.

Intimate vignettes like above usually cause me to stop and explore details of a garden. I sometimes drive my strolling partners nuts as they wander through the grand views of a garden. They have to wait for me to catch up. Many times, the detailed landscape views are what I recall from a garden or nature walk.

Related Images:

What is Around the Corner? – Chapter 2

Secret Path Entrance
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Heatherwood has several paths that wind through the garden. Each curve introduces a sense of curiosity. Before exploring what is around the corner, I first stop and enjoy the scene of what is in front of me. Throughout the garden there are windows that guide a visitor’s view to another part of a garden to explore later. What I see through this window is a path that I may take tomorrow. But now, what is around the corner? The answer is … look back to my previous post.

Related Images:

Secret Garden Path

Garden Path
Heatherwood Spring

This curving path winds through the most mature part of Heatherwood. It is my first attempt at designing a Japanese-influenced garden. Initiated in 2017, the trees, shrubs, and understory plants now fill around the eastern side of our home. The shade of the house provides an environment for a shade-loving plants. I look forward to several such little sanctuaries throughout our garden as it matures. For now, it is our little secret place.

Related Images:

Even on a Cloudy Day

Looking Out My Office Window
Cloudy Heatherwood Day

Heatherwood brightens my morning even on a cloudy day. After finishing my daily journal entry, I turn around and view the beauty of our garden through my office window. The spring colors of the Japanese maples draw my attention. I gaze deeper and explore the various conifer shrubs and other trees. I look up and see the Selah ridge rising above into the sky. The scene entices me to get up, grab a cup of coffee and take a morning stroll with my dear Mary!

Related Images:

Now … The Big Picture

Waterfall and Pond
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I step back, open my mind, and see the big picture of what was beyond the corner from my 25 May post. The heart of Heatherwood’s Japanese influenced garden presents itself. A stream originating from above flows down the hillside. Two waterfalls plunge into the pond creating a rushing sound. Trees, shrubs, and ground covers frame the stream and pond. Japanese maples add splashes of colors. The Kotoji and Yukimi Japanese lanterns overlook the stream and pond.

I now sit down in a pond-side chair, relax, and just enjoy nature’s surroundings. I contemplate about the many things that are right about our world as I hear the sounds of birds chirping through the rushing water. What a great way to start a spring day!

Related Images:

Still More Beyond

Kotoji and Waterfall
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

From viewing the Yukimi and waterfall in my last post, I lift my eyes and see more beyond. The Kotoji Japanese lantern is the guardian of the stream and waterfalls. He straddles the stream’s edge with one leg in the stream and the other on land. In the evening, his light reflects along the rushing water.

Related Images:

Around the Corner

Oribe Guide Post, Tetsu Bachi Basin, & Kakehi Water Spout
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

A couple of days ago I posted an image of a garden path and asked, “What is beyond?” Taking a few steps down the path, I look to my left and see a set of Japanese stone sculptures peeking out behind a Japanese maple. The Oribe guide post directs me to a little side path while the Kakehi water spout and Tetsu Bachi welcomes me. The sound of rushing water gets louder. The water spout and basin is only a trickle. What is beyond?

Related Images:

What is Around the Corner?

Lower Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Trees, shrubs, and ground covers frame the lower path of our Japanese garden area. I can hear water rushing, but there is no sign of it. What lurks around the corner of the path? Trees and carefully placed bends in the pathway obscure what is beyond.

The garden is filling in. It is hard to realize that only six years ago that this area was a grass lawn. ‘Visioneering’, imagination, design iterations, and some hard work formed the structure. Mother Nature did the rest!

Related Images:

Stop … Enjoy the Moment

Purple Rhody and Beyond
Heatherwood Upper Garden

Many times I stroll through the garden with my camera just enjoying the beauty without really searching for images. Then an image just pops up. I stop and enjoy the scene before me. I see shapes, textures, and colors. The individual subjects blend together to create a feeling of beauty. I enjoy the moment. Then I bring my camera up to my eye and create an image.

Related Images:

Framed

Summer Gold Japanese Maple
Heatherwood Woodland Garden

Walking along the woodland path I looked east and caught a glimpse of a Summer Gold Japanese maple through the blooming redbuds. The gold of the maple peeked through the pink blooms of the redbuds. The blue Storm Cloud amsonias provided a base for the image. The warm morning sun lit up the whole scene. Heatherwood is so full of color in the spring. Every morning the garden entices me to come out and take a stroll to see what new is blooming or emerging.

Even with all the turmoil that is going on, there are many wonderful things that are right with our world. We just need to open our eyes with an open mind.

Related Images: