Tag Archives: Kotoji Japanese Lantern

Buddies

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Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine & Sester’s Dwarf Blue Spruce
Heatherwood Autumn

I woke up this morning and read the news headlines. My spirits were down in the dumps. To bring my spirits up, I started reviewing my images of our garden that I created earlier this week. I stopped when I saw the image above and started to contemplate. Here are two completely different species growing up side by side, complementing each other in complete harmony with the other trees and plants in the landscape around them. Why can’t we do the same?

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It’s Almost Time

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“Kotoji and Stream”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

We are entering the last month of autumn. Temperatures have dropped down into the teens at night. We have already had our first dusting of snow and are expecting a little flurry today. It’s almost time to turn the main waterfall off for the season. Every time I walk by our pond and waterfall this time of year, I say to myself that I should turn off the water. Then I think, one more week.

I love to gaze at our waterfall and listen to the sound of the water falling into the pond. I have a difficult time shutting the main stream down for the winter. We do keep our side stream going to help aerate the pond and keep it oxygenated for the fish. At least we have a little flow action and noise over the next 3-4 months. We turn the water back on when we start our spring clean-up in March.

So maybe, I will turn the waterfall off today … or not.

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New Addition

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“Kotoji, Red Dragon and Ryu Sei Japanese Maples”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The Kotoji Japanese lantern is flanked by the ‘Red Dragon’ Japanese maple on the left and the new ‘Ryu Sei’ maple on the right. The Red Dragon was planted in 2019 when the Japanese garden was first constructed. The Kotoji lantern was added the next spring. We just planted the Ryu Sei this summer. The Ryu has a weeping form. Over time it will grow and gracefully bend over the stream below the Kotoji.

Heatherwood is constantly changing and growing. As long as my imagination continues, I hope to continuously add to to the garden.

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Similar Lantern, Different Feeling

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“Kotoji and Stream”
Portland Japanese Garden

The Kotoji Japanese lantern in the Portland Japanese Garden is tucked away, partly hidden by surrounding shrubs and weeping maples. Shade has stimulated moss to grow on the lantern over the years. The lantern peacefully looks over the gentle, slow moving small stream.

At Heatherwood, the feeling is quite different. The surrounding shrubs and Orangeola Japanese maple have not had the years to mature and surround the Kotoji. The lantern is in full direct sun and stands like a strong guardian over the rapidly rushing stream and waterfalls.

“Kotoji and Waterfall”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

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Early Morning Sun

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“Kotoji in Early Morning Sun”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The early morning sun is always a delight as it first grazes our Heatherwood garden. Backlit leaves warm the scene with their filtered soft colors. Light sparkles from the water and highlights the southeast facing vegetation. Shadows provide striking contrast ,popping out the highlights of the exposed plants. I look up and see the Kotoji lantern proudly standing guard over his domain.

Its a peaceful way to start the day!

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Spring View

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“Lower Falls View”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

As I walk along our garden path, this is one of my favorite vignettes. Looking up the hillside, Japanese maples, various evergreens, and the Kotoji frame in the rushing stream above the pond. Each season brings different color and form to this little view. Each year the trees and shrubs grow and provide a fuller picture. Only four years ago this hillside was simply covered with grass and was a &%#&!? to mow!

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Guardians

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“Kotoji & Orangeola Japanese Maple”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The Kotoji and Orangeola Japanese Maple are the guardians of Heatherwood’s stream and waterfalls. The Orangeola’s first breakout of leaves is a robust red. In mid-summer it transitions into a burgundy and green color. Then in the fall, it bursts out into a spectacular orange. Over time the Orangeola will grow and drape over the Kotoji.

This image illustrates some of our spring planting this year. Across the stream, white and pink phlox and kinnikinnick are starting to cover the ground. Siberian cypresses planted on both sides of the stream will gradually grow and flow down over the rocks to the stream. Some day, years from now, our Heatherwood Japanese garden will be filled with complementary vegetation from the ground to the sky. In the mean time, we will enjoy each day watching the garden grow.

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The Japanese Maples Are Coming Out!

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“Shin Deshojo & Kotoji”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

The Japanese Maples are finally leafing out! It may be my lack patience, but our Japanese maples seem to be late in leafing out this year. Their leaves are still in their opening phase, but it looks like all our Japanese maples made it through the bitter cold weather we had earlier this spring.

The Shin Deshojo is one of my favorite Japanese maples. I first saw one in a good friend’s yard in Seattle and fell in love with it. A little later my friends and I were walking through the Washington Arboretum and saw a mature Shin Deshojo in full spring glory. It was breath taking. A couple years later when my friends came to visit, they had a wonderful surprise for me. They brought me their Shin Deshojo as a gift for my fledgling Japanese garden. It struggled a couple of years during its transition from the mild Seattle climate to the harsh dry Yakima area. But it has survived and is now doing well. I added my second Shin Deshojo as our cornerstone tree when we built our waterfall and pond. It proudly graces our sitting area next to the pond.

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A Favorite Perspective

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“The Waterfall”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I have posted several images of our Heatherwood Japanese garden waterfall over the last couple of years. This angle is one of my favorite perspectives. Last year, we built two stepping stone paths leading to this intersecting view point.

The sound of the falling water draws my attention up the hillside. My eyes stop and pause at the Kotoji lantern before they continue to move to the Mountain lantern where they pause again. After the pause, they move to the yellow Chief Joseph lodgepole pine and pink phlox and then back down to the lower waterfall. And then they start to make a counterclockwise move up and around the hill again.

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