“Autumn Joy Sedum and Blue Fescue”
Heatherwood Meadow – Winter
I started my daily walk down to our Heatherwood meadow. I looked down and there my image was. I saw a burst of golden rays radiating out from a spent Autumn Joy sedum. My imagination flew as I visualized the morning sun bursting out over a grove of trees on a hillside ridge. What a great way to start a morning stroll.
“Edge of Cherry Allee”
Heatherwood Winter
The weather Is about to drop down into the teens this week. I decided to take a long stroll through our winter garden while it was comfortable. The bright yellow of the yellow twig dogwood shrubs contrast nicely with the red of the cherry tree bark. The base of the yellow twigs are surrounded by red berginias. In the summer the green foliage of the dogwoods will fill-in against the trunks of the cherries. Coupled with the canopy of the cherries, they will form a border to frame the bright colored perennials in the cherry allee.
“Winter Contrasts”
Heatherwood Meadow
A light snow cover accentuates the winter contrasts of the Heatherwood meadow. The snow both “frames” the various plants and highlights the leaves, stalks, and branches with a touch of “white icing.” It is like a miniature winter wonderland.
“Yellow & Red Twig Dogwoods & Grasses”
Heatherwood Late Fall
In addition to color contrasts, structure, form, and texture are important elements to create interest in a winter garden. In the above image, the red and yellow color of the dogwood shrubs provide initial interest. In addition, the hard line texture of the dogwoods contrast with the softer grass stems. The upright forms of the grasses and dogwoods complement each other and tie this vignette together. I am starting to visualize the beginnings of the new Yakima Arboretum Winter Garden already.
“Winter Garden Color”
Heatherwood Rock Garden
We received a little dusting of snow last night, so I thought I would venture out and try to take some images that would show examples of what could be done to create winter color in the garden. In our Heatherwood rock garden, we have yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blues, and browns. Ground covers, perennials, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs provide the varying color contrasts.
We are in the process of designing a small “Winter Garden” section for the Yakima Area Arboretum. We hope to create an example that can be shared with the area community.