Why I Oughta...

'Tis the season for Fall color in the garden.   Plenty of it is 'nice' to look at around our garden.  Both in front and back.  Reds, oranges. Yellows.  Even...browns.   Last week, I posted this photo from our back stoop showing the backyard coming alive in fall color.   And, more recently, I posted a photo of the color combo that is happening with the Saratoga Ginkgo and the Little Henry in front .  And, how the Doublefile Viburnums were turning purple .   Like I said...nice.  "Nice" colors.   But, there's another plant in the garden that does something else in Fall.  I'd call it borderline 'shocking'.  When you see it.   That plant that I'm talking about is the Butterscotch Amsonia.  Three of them planted in the [kitchen curved] bed back in 2021 .  I'd say they've been a 'garden win'.  They provide really 'nice' texture all season-long.  Then...come Fall...something else happen...

The pairing of the (still small) Saratoga Ginkgo tree with the drift of Little Henry Sweetspire (flowering shrub) are showing off right now with bright reds on the Sweetspire and the yellow (almost chartreuse) green on the Saratoga Ginkgo tree that is tucked into that same bed.   See below for what this combo looks like right now - in early November: I posted a similar photo (from the other side) of this combo two years ago .  The Saratoga Ginkgo tree has grown up a little bit in the two years.  

There are a lot of things that I really like in our garden that make an impact.  There are also other things that I've planted and occasionally forget about, but when I *do* spot them, I realize how much I love them and how great they (silently) perform their job. One of those silent success stories are the Doublefile Viburnum - treeform shrubs - that are planted along the Northern Property line.  There are three in total.  I found them in 2022 and planted four.  Three of which are still around.  Two along the northern fenceline, one in the back.   These shrubs show off in Spring with a big, beautiful set of white blooms.  Here are some photos from this year's Spring flower show .   Right now, the shrub is turning purple.  And, it looks really great.  Here, below, is a look at the foliage turning color, but hanging on to the branches (so far): I looked to buy more of these this Spring, but didn't find them at the nursery. ...

There's a time in the early morning when the sun is just coming up and begins to peek over our house and starts hitting the top of the trees in our backyard.  Right now, it makes the yard almost look electric.  The Northern Red Oak tree (tree swing tree) looks like it is lighting up everything else.  And, it is red.  RED.  Orange and red.  Normally, I'd say this tree doesn't do *that much* of a "Fall Show".  Hews closer to browns and a little orange than reds.  But this year?  It looks like it is on fire.  Pretty great to see: Last year, I p osted a photo of the backyard tree canopy about two weeks later.   In early/mid November.  And this same tree swing tree is orange.  And, in that post, I made the same comment :  this tree normally doesn't do much in the Fall but turn brown and cling tightly to it's crispy leaves.   Perhaps, I need to change my view on the matter.  Two years in a row is a pattern....

We have a small caliper, immature (and short-in-height) Blackgum tree that I planted in our front yard parkway in April of 2025 .  A few weeks earlier (as I was shopping for this very tree), I wrote a "getting to know" post about the Blackgum (or Black Tupelo) tree that is native to Northern Illinois.  In that post , I included this (partial) description: "One of the most spectacular and reliable fall coloring trees, turning brilliant shades of red and orange..." Last year, the tree did, indeed, turn a lovely color for fall.  Red.  Here it was in mid-November when the leaves were still on the tree and the tree was crimson-colored .   This year, that same color has returned.  About 2 weeks earlier.   Here is the tree as it stands right now - at the end of October - below: This tree has really been VERY SLOW TO GROW.  As in...has barely put on any growth in two growing seasons.   I asked Google's Gemini why that might be?...

We've had a weird Fall.  A few days ago, I posted the 10-day forecast that showed no frost arriving in our Zone 6a/5b Growing Zone well beyond the first few days of November .  I talked about how (according to the Illinois State Climatologist), the latest first frost in Northern Illinois (on record) was November 11th .  That means that everything is still....well...hanging on in the garden.   I just looked at the weather app and I can see all the way out to November 11th - the 'record' for last first frost.  And, right now....it is showing one day between now and then with lows in the upper 30s.  And, November 11th is showing a low of 47 degrees.  eeek.   That means that things aren't going to go dormant due to the cold.  Does that mean that I have to keep watering things?  Probably. But, it also means that some of the things in the garden.  Like with our Korean and Japanese Maples.   They have, historically, bee...

This Summer, I planted a small, 7-gallon upright Orange Dream Japanese Maple in the backyard .  About half-way back from the front border, along the southside of the yard.  Just past the Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  Or, at least that's what I *think* this tree is in terms of variety.  I've learned over the years that if you are buying Japanese Maples at the orange Big Box parking lot nursery, you have to take their labels with a healthy skepticism.   They label things that are clearly laceleaf as Bloodgoods.  And, they label fan-leaf as Red Dragons.   This one has red stems and fern-shaped fan leaves.  So, it (initally) checks out as Orange Dream.  I didn't see the Spring leaf-out, but we're about to enter the "Fall Show" season.   What does the tree look like right now?  Upright, full and green.   Here, below, is a photo showing the Japanese Maple as it stands in late October after the first few months in the groun...

Back in the Fall of 2023, I planted three Ruby Muhly Grasses - Muhlenbergia reverchonii 'Undaunted' - at the edge of the boardwalk in our backyard .  They were a deal on the 'end of the season' sale at The Growing Place.  But, they were also a grass that I had read about/come across them and thought their 'cloud-like' seedheads are something I'd like to have in the garden.   They went in very late in the season, but came back just fine their first year.  Here they are in mid-August 2024 prior to putting on any seed-head growth .  They were snug in their bed that I have subsequently expanded a little bit (and should expand more this Fall).   By September that first year, they had some seedheads .  But...not the 'clouds' that these grasses are famous for, at least.   Fast-forward to now.  This is their third growing season and they seem to have established themselves.  I don't pay much attention to them in terms of watering/...

This post is going-up in December, but the photo is from mid/late November (before Thanksgiving).  We had a good storm come through with a couple of days of wind that blew all the needles off of this tree and most of the rest of the trees in our yard.  But, before the needles fell... the Bald Cypress that is planted IB2DWs put on a nice 'fall show' this year.  Below is a photo showing the shape and color of the tree.   8-Year Old Bald Cypress Tree With Fall Color in Zone 6a Earlier this year, I pruned this tree (dormant pruning) for the first time and took some of the lower limbs off the trunk to lift up the canopy .    I'll probably get out there again late this Winter and take a branch of two off in order to raise the canopy up even more.  Hard to remember planting this tree as a tiny whip back in Fall of 2018 when we had different neighbors.  Seven years later, this is (probably) the most-successful small tree planting that we've had on o...

The 'fall colors' don't stop with the reds and oranges and yellows.  Down IB2DWs (extended) near the sidewalk is the (now) two-year-old ( Planted in October 2023 ) Purple Smokebush/Smoke Tree.  This tree (shrub?) has been no-fuss since it went in the ground and has put on some size in the two growing seasons.  I've watered it in a limited way, but the neighbor's sprinkler system likely saturates the ground where the Smoke Bush's roots draw from around the canopy.   Did we get any of those ' smoke-like airy seed clusters ' to emerge on the tips of this tree this season? No. No...we did not.   But, we *are* getting a small purple, pink and maroon 'fall show' as the foliage changes color.  Below, is a look at the current state of the leaves on this tree that is down by our sidewalk: When I planted this , I wanted to add some texture and color contrast to the 'expanded' conifer garden that I was planting along the property line IB2DWs.  I h...

It seems like we're getting BOTH a slightly delayed Fall color cycle and it is also amp'd-up on some things a bit more this season, too.  One of them that's 'amp'd-up' is the tree swing tree:  A mature Northern Red Oak tree.  This large tree has historically behaved in different ways each season.  Some years, it holds its leaves through the Winter, while other years it drops everything quickly.  But, most seasons we get a very limited 'fall show' with muted browns. This year, things are a little different.  The tree is bright like a flame with orange leaves blazing against the blue sky.  See the photo below: A few things to note in this photo: 1. There are still a bunch of green trees around. 2. There are also some yellow trees (The Black Walnut trees). 3. The other large mature Red Oak tree is way more green than this one. Compare the state of this tree (orange leaves) to the same tree on November 9th, 2021 (4 years ago) when it was full of GREEN l...

I planted a native Black Tupelo (Blackgum) tree in our parkway earlier this growing season as a replacement for the London Planetree that didn't make it down there.  They both were small caliper trees, but I paid *a little bit more* attention to the Black Tupelo in terms of watering this season.  Despite some die-back, the tree seems to have made it through the growing season with foliage on the limbs.   And that foliage is what is starting to 'show off' with its Fall colors.  Turning a bright red.  Here, below, is a look at the fall show from the leaves turning red: Back in the 'Getting to Know' post on the Black Tupelo , I included this description:   "One of the most spectacular and reliable fall coloring trees, turning brilliant shades of red and orange..."   Seems that characteristic of the tree (reliably turning fall colors) is turning out to be true - even in this small, young (< 1" caliper) tree.   Late this Winter,...

Yesterday, I posted a photo of the 'fall colors' that the dwarf Spring Grove Ginkgo tree (planted in our front yard island bed) and talked about how it was one-of-two anchors in that bed.  The other one being a Northern Glow Korean Maple tree.  The photo at the top of this post shows the current state of that Northern Glow hybrid Maple tree.  Like the Arctic Jade Korean Maple tree in our backyard, this deeply-cut Maple tree has darker centers on the Fall foliage.  This one is further 'behind' the Arctic Jade in terms of changing colors.   This Northern Glow Korean Maple went in the ground in Summer 2024, so this is the second Fall.  

In the Summer of 2024, I planted a small, dwarf Spring Grove Ginkgo tree in the island bed in our front yard .  This tree was one of two anchors (other being the Northern Glow Korean Maple tree) in that (then) small bed.  This year, I planted a large drift of coleus that (somewhat) obscured the Ginkgo, but now that the frost has killed the coleus, the Spring Grove Ginkgo is showing off.   Ginkgos do a good job of turning bright yellow followed by a VERY RAPID (almost 'all at once') leaf drop.   Here, below, is a look at the Spring Grove Ginkgo with its curled foliage showing yellow/gold tips and green centers.   Something to think about this Fall:  Expand this island bed and think about how to best plant-up the bed next year.  There were some wins here (Coleus and hopefully the Ajuga) and some losers (Medusa Allium) and some misses (Didn't plant Autumn Moor Grasses).  

While I haven't stopped 'deadheading' the dahlias, I *have* stopped cutting any blooms off the Disneyland Roses in the sideyard.  I'm hoping that they'll handle the frost and Winter, despite the late-season growth.   Like the dahlias, they're POP'ING OFF right now.  Here, below are some photos showing the blooms (in various stages) of our Disneyland Roses (Floribunda Roses) on a few plants.  I last cut some of these about 10 days ago and put in a vase ( post here ).  Since then, I've left all the rose hips on the ends of the stems in an attempt to allow this plant to run its full growing cycle before the frost arrives. 

Speaking of 'holding leaves' (yesterday...I posted a photo showing the espalier'd Lindens holding their leaves), the row of Frans Fontaine European Columnar Hornbeams that we have planted along the south property line are doing what they always do in Fall:  hold their leaves late.   The term for trees that hold their leaves DEEP into Winter (when they're all brown and dry, but still clinging to the branches) is named foliar Marcescence.  These aren't quite to that state, but based on previous seasons, we'll see these trees brown-out soon.  Then, one or two of them MAY drop their leaves immediately, while others may hold onto them until Spring.   You see this with Oak trees - quite a bit.  They'll hold some of their leaves all Winter .   Here's a post showing what the trees looked like in February of 2023 - still holding small, crinkled, curled-up leaves that late into the Winter .   And here's a post from one-year-and-one-...

Most of the trees in our yard, but for the Frans Fontaine European Hornbeams have dropped their leaves.  That's normal.  But, there's another set of trees that are holding their leaves late this year - these two Greenspire Lindens that are in a horizontal Cordon espalier form.  You can see them with their mix of green, orange and yellow leaves this late in November: When the leaves eventually drop, they'll reveal the structure underneath.   And, from the look of it, they'll also reveal A TON of vertical waterspouts on the top level of the espalier.  

Walking out the backdoor, I found a bunch of these fan-shaped Ginkgo leaves laying on the stoop.  They're from the pair of Spring Grove Ginkgo trees (dwarf, Witches broom trees) that sit on either side of our back stoop and flank the entrance.  I originally had a pair of Rhododendrons in these spots - planted in 2018 .  But, moved them out in 2023 doing a 'garden edit '.   I caught this post on Instagram from Erin - the Impatient Gardener - where she posted some photos of her own dwarf Ginkgo - a Gnome Ginkgo - and included some info that...I sort of 'observed', but didn't know what was going on with Ginkgos. Her post, embedded below, includes this line :  "Ginkgo trees develop these scars on all their leaves simultaneously, causing them to drop all at once when triggered by a hard frost." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener (@impatientgardener) "Blink and you'll miss it...

The Fall Colors series of posts continues today with a look at the Dawn Redwood tree in our backyard. Yesterday, I posted a look at the red foliage on some of the Oakleaf Hydrangeas in our backyard and talked about how I don't have a ton of 'red' Fall colors .    Earlier, I posted a look at the contrast between the small Saragoga Ginkgo tree and Little Henry Sweetspire by our front stairs .   And before that, I posted a photo of the Butterscotch Amsonia in our 'kitchen curved' bed that was as bright as it has EVER been in the Fall.  This post shows (at the top) a photo of the orange needles on our Dawn Redwood tree.  This tree went in the ground in 2018 as a three-to-four-foot-tall container-grown tree .  It has grown up and sprawled out.  I'd call this a more 'informal' shape right now.  The leader is leaning over and not shooting up very fast.   This tree has given this small little orange 'show' each Fall - and I've tried to doc...

Recently, I posted a photo of the Butterscotch Amsonia that I described as 'electric' in its Fall colors and talked about how we have some oranges and yellows, but very few reds in our "Fall Show".  Besides the Acer Palmatums, the few red-colored foliage plants we have include some Oakleaf Hydrangea.  See below for a look at a couple of them turning red.  These are Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea that went in the ground in 2022 .    There's also an Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea back there, too.  I lost one of those closer to the house this past Winter that I need to replace, so I might look into transplanting this one back up in the 'kitchen curved' bed.