Tag Archives: Heatherwood

The Sky Doesn’t Get Much Bluer

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‘Cherry Allee”
Heatherwood, Mid-Autumn

Our first light snow dusting is over. The sky is as blue as it can be. It’s a beautiful and crisp mid-autumn day. There is no better place to be than strolling through the garden.

The perennials in Mary’s “bright & shiny” garden are spent, but still have a hint of their summer color. Their textures and shapes still provide a lot of interest. I don’t have the heart to cut them back. Besides, the spent flower heads leave seeds for the birds as well as spread seeds to make a fuller garden for next year. I will wait until early spring to cut them back.

The leaves on the Pink Flair cherries are turning to their dark red mid-autumn color. It won’t be too long before the branches will be bare. Winter is not too far away.

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More Change to Come

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“Rock Garden”
Heatherwood Autumn

Heatherwood’s rock garden is full of color now. But, it will go through more color change as fall progresses into winter. The leaves of the deciduous shrubs will fall exposing bright red dogwood branches and purple elderberry and nine bark branches. Some of the conical shaped shrubs will turn from green to golden bronze. Other conifers will turn to yellow. The ice plant ground covers will turn to a bright orange while some of the thymes will turn yellow. The blues and dark greens of other conifers will provide a subtle contrast. There is much more to come!

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I Love the Autumn Color

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“Lower Lawn”
Heatherwood Autumn

Our autumn color is changing so fast. Last night the temperature dropped down into the mid-20’s. This morning, two of three of our ginkgos dropped all their leaves. We have one left that still has not turned yellow yet. For the next several days, I will need to photograph both in the morning and in the afternoon to create a record of our fall garden.

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More Autumn Color

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“Glorious Fall Color”
Heatherwood Autumn

Temperatures have been dropping down into the low 30’s for a week or so. The trees and shrubs are rapidly displaying their glorious autumn brilliance.

Our Heatherwood landscape is quite a contrast to the dry rock-covered hills that surround us. To bridge the gap, we have placed many rocks in our landscape. They help tie the hillsides and our garden together. It is amazing how a little water during the summer months can turn our semi-desert surrounds into a lush landscape.

Every day brings more and more color. The garden should be at its peak color in about a week. Some days are changing so much that I feel like I need to take a little photographic walk both in the morning and late afternoon. Today is one of those days.

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Day By Day

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“Changing Colors”
Heatherwood Autumn

It is already the middle of October and the autumn colors are slowly turning. Most of the deciduous trees are still green. Day by day they are changing into their fall color. Patches of yellow, orange, and red are starting to appear throughout the garden. The color change this year seems to be about two to three weeks later than last year. We have been having a beautiful Indian Summer. We are still eating most of our meals outside to enjoy the beautiful warm weather. The lawn seems to be growing as fast or faster than it has any time of the year. I am still mowing it two times a week! From the tracks in the lawn, it looks like the guy driving the mower has had a beer or two too many.

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Bit by Bit

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“Woodland Garden”
Heatherwood Autumn

Bit by bit, the fall colors are emerging here in Heatherwood. They seem to be coming a little late this year. But, each day brings a little more color, bit by bit. In the woodland garden, the red buds and some Japanese maples are transitioning to yellow. The October Glory maples are starting to turn red. And, the skies are a brilliant blue. It is time to go out and enjoy the day!

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Filling In

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“Two Zelkovas”
Heatherwood Summer

Four years ago this area was a pasture of grass and weeds. The house and garage below was clearly visible. It is amazing how a few trees, shrubs, perennials, and grass can change the scene. The lawn grass was planted three years ago. The trees and most of the shrubs and perennials were planted two years ago. Several fill in perennials were planted last year. This year we have just sat back and enjoyed this part of Heatherwood.

In the years ahead, the two Zelkova trees will grow and form a natural canopy and “tunnel” between the two planting beds. The trees in the background will get taller and entirely block our neighbor’s garage. The shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials will fill in and continue to add color and interest. For now, we sit back and enjoy!

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Strange Leaf

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“Ed Wood Japanese Maple”
Heatherwood Summer

The hot direct sunlight brings out the red color to the tips of this Japanese maple. This species has quite a different leaf pattern than the standard palmateum or dissectum varieties of Japanese maples. The leaf itself is huge, about 4 inches. The east-facing side of the maple is protected by its canopy from the scorching summer sun we have been having. The west-facing side of the tree is starting to get brown seared leaves from the harsh afternoon sun.

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109

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“Pacific Fire”
Heatherwood Summer

The last couple of weeks have been hotter than Hades. This week has been between 105 and 110 degrees. Today we are suppose to reach 109. This scene in our south east conifer corner looks like it is on fire with all the yellow and reds. We planted the “Pacific Fire” vine maple behind the Adirondack settee three weeks ago. It is showing off its flame-colored leaves. I hope that they don’t get carried away and burn off!

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