Tag Archives: Spring

Spring Color #3

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Cornelian Cherry Dogwood
Heatherwood Spring

The Cornelian Cherry dogwood, star magnolias, and the forsythia are the first trees to display their blooms. They shortly follow the witch hazels in the sequence of color in our Heatherwood garden.

The first Cornelian Cherry dogwood that I discovered was in the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. I had no idea what it was. When it broke out in bloom it lit up the whole end of the Arboretum. I had to wait fifteen years to have one of my own!

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Spring Color #2

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Okame Cherry
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Strolling in the Yakima Arboretum, I noticed the bright pink of the Okame cherries in the flowering cherry collection next to the Japanese Garden. I just had to have one for our Heatherwood garden. This one, still in its pot, has since found a spot in our Japanese garden area. It adds to our collection of Akebono, Pink Flair, Kawansan, and two unknown varieties. We now have 17 flowering cherries that brighten our spring garden.

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Spring Colors #1

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Blue Spruces, Flowering Plum, & Louie White Pine
Heatherwood Spring

Early spring has brought a plethora of color to our Heatherwood garden. I have been so busy working in the garden expanding a new conifer garden that I have not taken the time to photograph the evolving spring color. Over the next several posts, I will try to record some of the spring evolution in the garden.

This image shows the mid-morning sunlight exposing the flowering plum, two blue spruces, a Louie Eastern White Pine and an Ivory Halo red-twig dogwood. The pink and chartreuse provide a nice contrast to the blue spruces. This is one of the colorful vignettes that we see from our upper patio.

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Waiting for Spring

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Robin in Cherry Tree
Heatherwood Cherry Allee

I noticed this robin searching around for a place to build her nest. Our rows of eight trees have been a popular place for nesting. I counted nine old nests scattered on the trees. I can imagine what is going on in the robin’s mind. “Should I remodel one of the existing nests or build a new one from scratch?”

Spring is right around the corner, less than a week away!

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Which Way ?

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Lower Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Choices, choices, choices … which way do I turn? I hear rushing water to my left. I hear a plethora of bird songs ahead. I glance and see a dense packed pathway of shade loving trees and plants to my immediate right. A Goldilocks pine points its extended yellow branches to my different choices. Which way do I turn, or should I take my time and explore all three.

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Uplift

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Golden Joy Juniper & Manyo No Sato Japanese Maple
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

This little vignette greets me as I start up the path to the top of our Heatherwood Japanese Garden. The warm early morning sun graces the Golden Joy juniper and the Manyo No Sato Japanese maple. I feel the golden palm and outreaching fingers of the Golden Joy uplifting the Manyo No Sato like a gentle hand. An early morning stroll through the garden is a wonderful way to greet the coming day and all the opportunities it brings.

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Harbinger of Summer

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Up Through the Garden to the Ridge
Heatherwood Late Spring

Bright blue skies, ground covers in bloom, yarrow ready to bloom … summer is right around the corner. Our Heatherwood garden is starting to burst out in bloom everywhere. Temperatures are in the 70’s approaching the 80’s. Summer seems to be coming a little early this year.

One of the driving factors when I purchased our Selah property was the surrounding ridge. It feels a little like we are in the center of a half circle amphitheater. Looking through the garden, the ridge stands above acting like a guardian. It is a wonderful backdrop leading up to the bright eastern Washington blue skies. As I gaze up at it, my mind wanders to contemplate the wonders of nature and what is good about the world around us.

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The Last Day in May

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Southeast Conifer Corner
Heatherwood Spring

Today is the last day of May. Where has the time gone? In one more month half of the year will have passed us by. These last three months have been extremely busy in our garden. We started with spring clean-up. Then we spent a couple weeks transplanting many, many plants to make ready for our spring planting project. After taking a short breath, we began a large planting project adding a number of trees, many shrubs, and a zillion ground covers. Then for the last couple of weeks we have been doing touch-up work and extending our irrigation systems to the new plants. When I thought we had finished for the spring, I got the crazy idea to go plant shopping at a local nursery. We now have another week or two of more planting and finishing things off before July.

Heatherwood will never be complete. As soon as I add a new plant, more ideas pop up. It’s time to enjoy a morning cup of coffee in the garden … and think what we need to enhance this or that spot!

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