2024 Yard and Garden To-Do List Final Scorecard - January 2025

Each season that I've put together a 'to-do list' for the yard and garden, I've also done an end-of-season accounting on how well I was able to complete the items on the list.

Last year, I had 25 items on my list.  This post serves as the final scorecard of those 25 items.

Historically, I've had REALLY good years.  And some not-so-good years.

In 2023, I completed 22 out of 25 items on the list. 88%.

In 2022, I marked 17 complete.  3 'mixed' and 5 not-completes.  68%.

In 2021, I marked 17.5 complete.  2 'semi-complete' and 5.5 not-completes.  70%. 

In 2020, I marked 22 complete.  3 not-complete.  88%.

In 2019, I marked 12 of 17 complete.  70%.

That means over five growing seasons ('19, '20, '21, '22, '23), I have had 117 items on my list.

And, I have 90 marked complete (Math: 22+17+17.5+22+12 = 90.5).

90.5/117 = 77% overall.

My 2024 list was full of BIG and little items.  I last did a 'late season' check-in on the list in September when I - at that time - marked just six items complete, 9 in-process and 10 incomplete.  When I wrote that post, I was pretty hopeful that a number of the 'in-process' would flip to 'complete'.  Let's see how that worked out:

Now...a note on 'weight':  Some of these items are CLEARLY more weight/heavier/more resource-intensive than others.  Despite that, I'm doing a straight scoring:  each one of 25 is worth the same.

1. Build the pizza oven.  Complete.  This is done.  The oven functions.  There's A LOT more work to do on the 'oven area'.  But, the oven itself is done.  This was, well....a MASSIVE project.   

2. Push through the discomfort around flowers.  Complete.  Dahlia tubers.  Zinnias from seed.  Countertop arrangements for us and our friends.  Yes, yes, yes.  In a big way.  

3. Groundcover everywhere.  Complete.  Divided some Angelina Sedum near the patio.  I also divided a bunch of Chocolate Chip Ajuga and transplanted in my garden edits.  This Fall, I divided some Carex Montana and have plans to add even more along the south entrance. I added more Chocolate Chip Ajuga to the Island bed up front.  

4. Conifers should come first.  Complete.  I added two - unique - conifer trees to the front yard.  An Oregon Green Austrian Pine.  And a Skylands Oriental Spruce.  

5. Hosta Replacement Theory. And Ostrich Fern Replacement Theory.  Complete. I did a 'garden edit' on the Nook area and moved the All Gold Hakonechloa Grasses after digging out a border of hostas.  There's more of this work to do along the north side of the house.

6. Lighting and water feature plus-ups.  Complete.  I added some enhancements to my barrel pond/water feature - but I don't seem to have posted about it.

7. Do better containers. Complete. Kind-of. The front porch one that Nat did was better. Backyard were more standard.

8. Bedding Annuals. Complete.  I planted dwarf French Marigolds in front. Some orange zinnias as bedding plants IB2DWS. And, a trio of Inferno Coleus in the new island bed.

9. Expand the bed and plant (shrubs) around the back patio and grill landing. Complete.  I extended the bed at the corner of the patio where there are Karl Foerster Grasses.  This will be planted in the Spring. 

10. Trees. Complete. I've laid off big box trees. And...Planted a few unique ones including a Korean Maple, another Emperor 1 Japanese Maple, a Spring Grove Ginkgo and the two conifers in the front yard.

11. Focus on Fall planting. Complete. I held off on most planting until the Fall - and we will see if it worked out after the thaw.

12. Keep going on seasonal tasks.  Complete.  Fed roses and treated trees. The nursery failed (thanks to the pizza oven build.)   Grew Amaryllis bulbs, worked the compost, used Neem oil and removed Wild Onions.

13. Nursery and Plantsman. Incomplete. Failed on some past ones. Succeeding on hydrangeas. But, mostly neglected.

14. Keep going on compost.  Complete.  Filled the bins.  Turned the entire process over.  Emptied the tumbler and used the 'black gold'.  Added a 'Feed Me' sign.  And, composted most of our kitchen waste.  Even during Winter.

15. Don't stop weeding.  Incomplete.  I've weeded, yes.  But have I done it enough?  No.  

16. Keep improving IB2DWs. Complete.  I've planted some annuals and dahlias.  I divided and transplanted some Serendipity Alliums and planted some Stachy's Hummello.   I also divided the switchgrass down the sidewalk, hoping to rejuvenate it.  And, added some of the Moor Grasses down there, too.  Oh...and I grew this Cardoon.  

17. Do more/different/better arrangements. Complete. Dahlias and zinnias have changed things for the better.  This one is 100% done.  

18. Projects. Incomplete. I put together the little mini-shed in the backyard, but didn't fill it with tools.. Didn't build an orangerie box, but my gosh...the pizza oven *is* a project, right?  I didn't add gravel, but I should do that next year.  

19. Vegetable gardening. Complete. Three kinds of tomatoes. That alone is an improvement.

20. Keep working the lawn. Maybe a little less. Incomplete. I didn't do the final Fall Feeding.  That's a miss.

21. Southside entrance. Incomplete.  I added some Carex Montana, but otherwise...this was a miss. 

22. Garden Personality. Complete.  Fairy Garden house #1.  "Feed Me" sign.  Good start.  A lot more room to grow. 

23. Begin the Parkway transformation. Incomplete.  I didn't plant a single thing in the parkway.  But...at least I still don't have mulch volcanos down there. 

24. Leaf mulch. Incomplete. Never ordered it. Too bad. 

25. Figure out the area behind our South Oak or the understory behind the Nootka Cypress. Complete.  I'm going to take the 'garden edit' as a win.  Didn't plant anything behind the South Oak, but did put the shed there.  That counts, right?  Also....I started behind the nook with that 'garden edit'.  I fear the drought did some damage here, but Spring will tell the full story.

Out of the 25, I have:

18 marked complete.

7 marked incomplete.  

72% for the year.  A bit below my historical average.  But...remember...that first item:  the pizza oven.  That was a HUGE time suck and was very resource-intensive.

Looking back over (now) six growing seasons and six to-do lists, we see:

142 items on the to-do lists.

108.5 items marked 'complete'.  

76% success rate.

Last year, I wrote up a 'ten things I learned' and included it in the 'scorecard post'.  I'll do something similar, but will include it as a separate post.