2025 Yard and Garden To-Do List Final Scorecard - December 2025
The season is over. The post-Christmas darkness is here. So, let's do a full recap of the gardening year that was 2025.
I initially posted my 2025 to-do list in early April this year with 25 items. In Mid-August, I did a check-in post that showed:
11 Done
7 In Process
7 Incomplete
1. Gravel Path Improvement. Done. I did the biggest part of this, but still have the 'gate-back' portion left to do. But, I'm calling this done.
2. Make the Pizza Oven operational. Done. I closed in the enclosure, put the roof layer on and no longer have to deal with a tarp. We also had a soapstone landing installed out front and started on the veneer - the very first "finishes".
3. Expand and plant the Island bed in front. Done. I've done A LOT up here, but haven't planted everything I was planning-to. I'd like to get a mass planting of grasses to finish this up for the season.
4. Finish garden edits from 2024. Incomplete. The 'nook' rallied on its own. I added a few more All Golds from the Morton Sale and three upright blue conifers near the pizza oven. But, have more to do: move Alliums, add grasses.
5. Get back in the Japanese Maple game. Done. Planted an Arctic Jade Korean Maple in back.
6. Use more coleus as bedding plants. Done. Versa Golds in front (stunners!), Inferno in back. And, even that odd "Under the Sea" Coral coleus in back.
7. Add more "Garden Personality". Incomplete.
8. Be a weeder. Done. (and In Process - as it should be....). I need to add a metal weed container to get this right.
9. Build something. Done. Yes, a retaining wall counts. So does the pizza oven.
10. Work on garden "Legibility". Incomplete. Not enough repetition. Not enough edges.
11. Keep going in the Front Yard. Done. Dahlias everywhere, Replaced the parkway tree, staked the Saratoga Ginkgo. Planted up Annual Vinca. But, will want to expand that annual bed and try to plant something in the parkway next year.
12. Create/expand the Patio bed. Incomplete. But, something I will do in Fall.
13. Add some trees. Done. Added three Witchita Blue Junipers to the backyard. And the Korean Maple. And the Tupelo tree in the parkway. Also, cleaned up the sideyard espaliers and the Lindens.
14. Vegetables. Done. Do we have tomatoes? Yes. Are they great? No.
15. Lean into what is working planting-wise. Done. Added a couple of new (to me) Viburnum, bought *more" of things at Arboretum Sale.
16. Keep going on Groundcover. Done. Ajuga everywhere.
17. Upgrade the Lights and Water feature. Incomplete.
18. Make 2025 another year of Cut flowers. Done. In a big way.
19. Get back to basics with irrigation. Done. Aside from vacation failure.
20. Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new. Done. Added Autumn Ferns and All Golds and Sun Kings. Didn't buy new things.
21. Keep going on compost. Done. Upgraded bins, filled them. Didn't turn them, but that's ok.
22. Better annuals containers in back. Done. Are they great? No. Are they better? Yes.
23. Fall project: More Lazy bed extensions. Incomplete. Snow came early. Will have to do this in January.
24. Plot the garden path on the north side. Incomplete. Did I do anything for this? No. But, did I plant anything in the way? Also no.
25. Plant fall bulbs. Incomplete. Didn't plant ANY.
2. Make the Pizza Oven operational. Done. I closed in the enclosure, put the roof layer on and no longer have to deal with a tarp. We also had a soapstone landing installed out front and started on the veneer - the very first "finishes".
3. Expand and plant the Island bed in front. Done. I've done A LOT up here, but haven't planted everything I was planning-to. I'd like to get a mass planting of grasses to finish this up for the season.
4. Finish garden edits from 2024. Incomplete. The 'nook' rallied on its own. I added a few more All Golds from the Morton Sale and three upright blue conifers near the pizza oven. But, have more to do: move Alliums, add grasses.
5. Get back in the Japanese Maple game. Done. Planted an Arctic Jade Korean Maple in back.
6. Use more coleus as bedding plants. Done. Versa Golds in front (stunners!), Inferno in back. And, even that odd "Under the Sea" Coral coleus in back.
7. Add more "Garden Personality". Incomplete.
8. Be a weeder. Done. (and In Process - as it should be....). I need to add a metal weed container to get this right.
9. Build something. Done. Yes, a retaining wall counts. So does the pizza oven.
10. Work on garden "Legibility". Incomplete. Not enough repetition. Not enough edges.
11. Keep going in the Front Yard. Done. Dahlias everywhere, Replaced the parkway tree, staked the Saratoga Ginkgo. Planted up Annual Vinca. But, will want to expand that annual bed and try to plant something in the parkway next year.
12. Create/expand the Patio bed. Incomplete. But, something I will do in Fall.
13. Add some trees. Done. Added three Witchita Blue Junipers to the backyard. And the Korean Maple. And the Tupelo tree in the parkway. Also, cleaned up the sideyard espaliers and the Lindens.
14. Vegetables. Done. Do we have tomatoes? Yes. Are they great? No.
15. Lean into what is working planting-wise. Done. Added a couple of new (to me) Viburnum, bought *more" of things at Arboretum Sale.
16. Keep going on Groundcover. Done. Ajuga everywhere.
17. Upgrade the Lights and Water feature. Incomplete.
18. Make 2025 another year of Cut flowers. Done. In a big way.
19. Get back to basics with irrigation. Done. Aside from vacation failure.
20. Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new. Done. Added Autumn Ferns and All Golds and Sun Kings. Didn't buy new things.
21. Keep going on compost. Done. Upgraded bins, filled them. Didn't turn them, but that's ok.
22. Better annuals containers in back. Done. Are they great? No. Are they better? Yes.
23. Fall project: More Lazy bed extensions. Incomplete. Snow came early. Will have to do this in January.
24. Plot the garden path on the north side. Incomplete. Did I do anything for this? No. But, did I plant anything in the way? Also no.
25. Plant fall bulbs. Incomplete. Didn't plant ANY.
Adding up the totals and we're showing:
17 Done
8 Incomplete
That's one-off of last year when I completed 18.
But, there were some *BIG* items here like the pizza oven and the front yard island bed. Both of which sucked up resources, time and energy.
#23 (Lazy Bed Extensions) and #12 (patio bed extensions) are both marked 'incomplete', but I still want to get those done before too long. The snow came very early this year, so I wasn't able to get out there in November and early December. If those get done by say...January 15th, I'll revise this scorecard and count them in 2025. I'll call it an 'early snow exception' to the calendar year.
The other ones (Bulbs, garden path, upgrade lights/water, legibility, personality and finishing the garden edits) all will go on my 2026 list with some minor tweaks.
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