Tag Archives: winter

Peeking Through

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“Merging Together”
Heatherwood Winter

A telephoto lens can create a little magic. In the above image, a 200mm lens compresses a 150 foot scene into a single plane. The foreground blue spruce looks like it is right next to birch trees that are 150 ft behind the spruce. I’ve walked past this area many times without seeing the juxtaposition of the various trees merging together. The combination of a blue spruce, two Lebanon cedars, and three birch trees with highlights of white snow, and yellow grasses and shrub creates an interesting little vignette.

I see something new every time I take a stroll through Heatherwood. What new scene will I see today?

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A Walk in the Winter Garden

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“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.

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Merry Christmas!

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“Early Winter Snow”
Heatherwood Winter

We are thankful for the gift of a little pre-Christmas snow that helped us get into a peaceful Christmas spirit. The natural setting here at Heather wood allows us to relax and enjoy the wonderful gifts that our Lord has given us.

As I stroll in the winter garden, I reflect on the many happy Christmases I have had throughout my life. They started up at the Ranch in Selah, WA for my early childhood years. They continued at our Hillcrest house overlooking Selah during my adolescence and college years. Karen and I enjoyed Christmases in Richland, Seattle, Bothell, Washington DC, Kent, Woodinville, and Fountainville, PA as my career took me back and forth across the country. And now Mary and I are spending our golden years in our Heatherwood garden back in Selah.

The Christmas season, even with all its hustle and bustle, is an occasion where we all need to take the time to be at peace, reflect on our lives and be thankful for what is most important to us and all that our Lord has given us.

Merry Christmas!

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Simple Pleasures

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“Walk Through the Garden”
Heatherwood Winter

The simple pleasure of walking through our Heatherwood garden is something I do almost every day. Sometimes the walk is just a few minutes, other times hours go by before I come in. The garden is in its infancy, but little vignettes like the one above, make each stroll a new experience.

During the busy Holiday season it is easy to get lost in all the hustle and bustle. I try my best to make sure I do not let the opportunities for little simple pleasures escape.

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Winter Day 3

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“Winter Grasses”
Heatherwood Meadow

Snow lightly glazes the stalks of the winter grasses adding to their winter beauty. Many gardeners like to have a neat planting area over the winter and cut down all their perennials. We prefer to let the garden get a little messy and enjoy the remnants of the perennials. The birds like it too as they feast on the spent flower seeds.

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Winter is Here

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“First Day of Winter”
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Today is the first day of winter. Light snowfalls in the last couple of days ushered in winter in our Heatherwood garden. I even had to plow our driveway yesterday.

Last year most of the Japanese maples kept their leaves through the fall and most of the winter. This year, they all have lost their leaves. The maples’ naked branches just blend into the background. The landscape seems more barren than it was last year. Hopefully the trees are taking a rest as they continue to develop strength below the ground’s surface preparing them for next years growth.

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So long …

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“Spent”
Heatherwood Rose Garden

I view this spent rose every time I look out our family room window. At times, I become fixated with it and imagine how I can best photograph it to convey what I see and feel. Waking up from a late afternoon nap, I looked out and saw the rose side lit by the late afternoon sunlight. The wind was still and I was able to grab my camera with a 400mm lens and isolate the hip through the family room window. In post-processing, I simplified the image converting it to black and white and added a simple vignette blur.

Our forsythia is getting ready to bloom. As the saying goes, when the forsythia blooms, it is time to prune the roses. Next week my winter attraction will be cut down to prepare for new spring growth. So long my friend …

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Framing a View

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“Looking North Through Japanese Garden”
Heatherwood Winter

Work is about to start on our 2021 spring project at Heatherwood. Our garden will continuously change over time. Additions and modifications are designed to highlight key plants, frame views, and hide distractions. From the perspective of the above image, we want to focus the attention to the plants in the Japanese garden then draw the view to the 1890’s irrigation flume in the background. This year we plan to add medium sized Japanese holly evergreens to hide the road leading up the hill and mid-sized conifers to hide the bare hillside at the right of the image. These additions will provide a background layer for the Japanese garden as well as frame the irrigation flume in the distant background.

As we walk through our garden, we are content enjoying the current state of our existing plants. Concurrently we visualize how the plants will mature as well as look for new opportunities to enhance the garden. Change is an ever-present part of Heatherwood.

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First of March

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“Winter Meadow”
Heatherwood

Today is the first of March, time to clean up the meadow and other planting beds. The weather here will be mild in the mid-50’s for the next week and a half. The garden is calling for attention. Grasses and perennials need to be cut back to make room for new growth. Trees and shrubs need to be trimmed to guide their shape as the new growth emerges. Winter weeds need to be extracted before they get carried away. Several of our shrubs need to be transplanted to accommodate the placement of new plantings. Some of our hardscape needs to be modified to allow for our landscape design plan changes. In an evolving garden, nothing remains constant.

And while all this is going on, the 2000 bulbs we planted last fall are sprouting! March will be a busy and exciting month at Heatherwood.

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