“First Crocus”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
After the shadow of record-setting freezing temperatures, our first crocuses start to emerge. They provide hope that spring is just around the corner. In a similar fashion, I contemplate and pray that our world’s humanity will overcome the shadow that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing.
“Spent Hosta Leaves”
Heatherwood Winter
As I write this post, Russia is invading Ukraine. The world is a crazy place right now. I have the hope that “cool heads” around the world will prevail and that a global crisis will be avoided.
“Blue Rug Juniper and Woolly Thyme”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden
Many times I walk through our garden with my camera focusing on a simple objective. Contrasting colors and textures in our winter garden was my photographic theme during this day’s garden stroll. I consider our Heatherwood garden as one big experiment. This little vignette is the result of two seasons growth of a creeping juniper and a soft-textured thyme. It provides a tight contrasting ground cover in our Japanese influenced garden. More thyme has been ordered for this year’s planting project to provide additional interesting ground cover for the garden.
“Nature’s Flail”
Heatherwood Liquidambar
Little things frequently catch my attention during my garden strolls. I almost always have a camera with me to record my thoughts. Liquidambars (American Sweetgum) have caught my interest for many years. Their beautiful multi-color fall foliage first caught my eye in a nursery near Woodinville, WA in the late 80’s. I purchased two and planted them at our driveway’s entrance. An ice storm following a heavy snowfall bent the trees to the ground and broke off several branches. The trees never really fully recovered.
My next experience was in Pennsylvania where I again saw the beautiful fall color of a row of sweetgums lining a local nursery. I quickly bought six trees to line the edge of our yard along the road. Fifteen years later, they were the highlight of our neighborhood’s drive.
I am on my third trial here in Central Washington. Two years after I moved in, I planted two more Liquidambars, one on each side of our driveway. They grace our front yard with lush green foliage in the spring and summer, beautiful fall color, and the weapons shown in the image above in the winter.
When I look at these spiked seed pods, they remind me of a spiked medieval weapon called a flail. I don’t want to think how it would feel to be hit by one. However, I have felt the excruciating pain of crawling around on the ground weeding beneath a tree and kneeling on one of the spiked seed pods.
“Ajuga et al”
Heatherwood Winter
Every stroll through our Heatherwood garden presents little “treats” of joy. The above image is from a shady part of our Japanese garden.
Nature’s Cycle
New and old mix together,
From decay, emerges new,
Another season ahead.
“Lenticular Sunrise”
Heatherwood Winter
Winter is the season for amazing sunrises over Eastern Washington. Winter is the time when we have many cloud covered skies. This one with a lenticular cloud formation hanging above the tree grove silhouette was spectacular this morning. It triggered my imagination to visualize a large spaceship looking for a place to land. It was an exciting way to start the day!
“Rock Garden Path”
Heatherwood Winter
The snow is gone, at least for the time being. I left home two weeks ago and the ground was covered with snow. When I returned home this week, only a few patches of snow remained. What a pleasant surprise it was. Winter color still abounds, but small traces of the coming spring were evident. We have a little over four weeks until the first day of spring. If the mild weather continues, we will start cleaning up the spent perennials to prepare for the spring emergence and spring planting.
“Mono Lake”
Eastern Sierras, California
I’ve driven by Mono Lake three times in the last four years in the February/March time frame. This year with the combination of the skies and the snow, the view was striking. A few moments after I took this image, a breeze came up and the clearness of the reflection was gone. Sometimes, I just lucky to be at the right spot at the right time. Thank YOU!
“Limelight Hydrangea and Yellow -Twig Dogwood”
Heatherwoood Winter
One of my favorite winter vignettes in the garden is the combination of the spent hydrangea flower heads and the yellow branches of the yellow-twig dogwood along the cherry allee. In the summer the view is quite different with the white flowers of the limelight hydrangeas contrasting with the bright green leaves of the yellow-twig dogwoods. Multi-season interest is one of the highlights of Heatherwood.
“Wireless Zelkova and Meadow”
Heatherwood Winter
This tree is one of a pair of Wireless Zelkovas that frame a neck of grass which connects two of our larger lawn areas. This one anchors the meadow, and its twin sister anchors the crabapple grove. Together, some day in the future, they will form an arch over the lawn path.