Tag Archives: snow

More Snow !

“New Blanked of Snow”
Heatherwood Meadow

I woke up this morning to a new blanket of snow. It was beautiful, but … my spring clean-up crew was scheduled to start cutting back the grasses and perennials. I guess I will have to wait for a few more days.

The beauty of the new snow blanketing Heatherwood was worth the delay. I enjoyed a two hour walk around the garden with my camera. Each day is a gift. My challenge/opportunity is to make the best of each day. Yesterday was a great day!

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Warning!!!

“Late Winter Snow”
Heatherwood Meadow

Mother Nature gave us a little warning on this last day of February, “Don’t get too excited about spring, we still have three weeks of winter left.” I have been getting ready to start cutting back Heatherwood’s grasses and perennials. The temperatures have increased from the 20’s last week to the 40’s this week. Yesterday, I was out in the yard with my pruners. Luckily this is the last snow predicted for our 10 day forecast. And, the temperatures are predicted to rise back up into the 40’s. Hopefully we will be able to start our clean-up later this week.

In the meantime, I took the opportunity to walk through Heatherwood for a couple of hours this morning with my camera. There were plenty of opportunities to create images from a late winter snow. The light snow was a heavenly gift.

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Blue Sky Winter Day

“Japanese Garden Entry Path”
Heatherwood Winter

Blue skies on a winter day raise my spirit. I walk out our front door and turn to my right and see the glorious blue sky above the sunlit ridge. The warmer temperatures are melting the snow. Trees and shrubs are now free from snow. Ground covers are peeking above the snow-patched ground. The partly snow covered pathways entice me to walk through the garden. As I walk along the path I stop to touch and inspect the various plants that have been under snow for the past six weeks. I look and see new buds forming on the tips of the branches. I continue and stop multiple times to just look around me and contemplate the garden’s beauty and the changes that will emerge as the seasons of the new year progress. My spirts rise.

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Mid-January Stroll

“Yukimi and Pond”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Between light rain drizzles we had a few hours of sunshine. I grabbed my camera for my first garden excursion of the year. With the rain and above freezing temperatures, our snow is gradually melting. The pond has been free of ice for about a week. During the winter we leave the water flowing in the small stream to provide aeration for our fish. Hopefully they will survive over the winter.

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Winter Textures

“Winter Yarrow and Grasses”
Heatherwood Meadow

There is always something to see and photograph in the garden. Something as simple as the varying textures of spent yarrow and grasses make me stop and click the shutter. It happened in our garden over 16 thousand times last year!

Now I am paying the price of sorting through and picking the “keepers.” Each year I have been making a “Heatherwood Highlights” photo book. I am in that process right now and have to reduce my 16-plus thousand images down to about 300. I have been working on the project for about a month and am down to around 600. It hurts me each time I through one out. I have a lot more blood to give to reach my target. Wish me luck!

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More Snow Expected

“Snow-Covered Birches”
Heatherwood Winter

In my New Year’s Day post I talked about dreaming for the garden to emerge in the spring. But, the weather is not cooperating as the temperature hovers around freezing. The forecast is for even more snow tonight and tomorrow. Oh well, I will have the opportunity to photograph fresh new snow.

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New Snow

“Old Flume”
Heatherwood Winter

Just as the temperatures started to rise and the snow had melted from the roads and trees, we received a gift of another 4-5 inches of new snow. It brightened up the neighborhood and our Heatherwood garden. We now have had snow on the ground for the full month of December. The temperatures are forecasted to hover around freezing for the next week. We are not expecting another snowfall during that period.

Heatherwood has continued to have an unusual beauty this year. Typically the leaves on all the trees and shrubs have fallen. This year, many of them still have their leaves. They provide a beautiful contrast with all the snow.

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The Beautiful White Wonderland Continues

“Birches and Oak”
Heatherwood Winter

After a wonderful White Christmas, the beautiful white wonderland continues. For the last several weeks, the temperatures have remained below freezing and our white winter wonderland continues to display its beauty. Many are not appreciative of the cold weather. Personally, I am thankful to have the beautiful serene snow-covered landscape surround us. I can alway layer up to go outside and enjoy our little Eden.

Alas, today the temperature is predicted to rise above freezing. It is forecasted to continue to warm up. A week from now the white wonderland may be gone, at least temporarily.

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White Christmas

“Japanese Garden Entrance”
Heatherwood Winter

Our wish for a White Christmas will be fulfilled. With our continued cold temperatures, the snow from previous snowfalls has not melted and the frost remains on our trees. In addition we have had several little dustings to keep the snow looking fresh. Our setting for Christmas is a winter wonderland. We will no longer need to dream for a white Christmas. It is here in full glory!

Merry Christmas!

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Leaves on Trees ?

“Winter Trees With Leaves”
Heatherwood

Winter scenes this year in Heatherwood look quite different than in years past. This past year we had a very warm summer that lasted well into October. Then we had a cold snap that delayed the display of fall color. The cold spell continued through November which left leaves on many deciduous trees. Then the snows and frost hit in early December. Now we have snow and frost covered leaves still hanging on the trees. The additional weight has caused several branches to break. Hopefully the leaves will fall soon leaving bare branches to provide their normal beauty to the winter scene.

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