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Showing posts with the label privacy

Frans Fontaine Pyramidal Hornbeams Holding Winter Leaves - February 2023

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Seven-or-so weeks ago, I wrote a post and shared a photo of the stand of Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeam trees that we have planted as a hedge and talked about how the trees had been holding their leaves late into December .  That ability or characteristic of a deciduous holding onto dry, desiccated leaves  called foliar marcescence and for some trees - like these Frans Fontaine European Hornbeams is actually a feature.  It allows for trees like this to provide a bit of privacy screening even in Winter when most every other tree has shed their leaves during dormancy.   We've had different experiences with the leaves holding on for different lengths of time during different years.  But, what about now?  In mid-February 2023?   What do the trees look like.  See below.  They're *still* holding on to their dry leaves.   This is the latest they've gone in this state and I'm really finding it interesting to see them show-off a little bit in this way.  Is it a thick and lush

2022 Google Maps Location Timeline - January 2023

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Earlier this year, the fine people at Google shared an automatically-created "Timeline" of my travels based on Google Maps and the location tracking via my Android device.  There's lots of worth-while discussion about technology and privacy, but I think this is a pretty good use case for using the technology and information that you personally create by navigating the world into something interesting - and very personal.  I've posted about this recap in the past - here's the version that I shared in early 2021 that covered my COVID year including the 'stay at home' days .  There's a SHARP contrast between Jan and Feb and the rest of the year that the data shows. What about 2022?  We did a little travel and I was back in the office more than in 2021.   Here's a few looks at the data below.  First...modes of travel.  Walking vs. Driving vs. Transit.  Very little walking in January and February.  That's interesting. Similarly...though...driving wa

Mixed Northside Shrub Project - Green Giant Thujas Placement - April 2022

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Yesterday, I showed the location of three upright evergreens - Green Giant Thujas - that work in part shade for our backyard.   Those were in what I'm calling the " Lilac Replacement " slice of the south bed.  Today, I'm showing the *approximate* placement of the three other that I bought:  these go on the northside mixed bed behind the London Plane tree .  There currently is a scrub shrub that I've left (for now), but requires pruning to get these two close to their spots.  Below is where I'm (currently) thinking of putting these down.  Now...tree roots may have me moving them a bit, but this is MOSTLY their locations: They'll be 'fronted' by four lilacs that I'll transplant here - in purple.  The Nocture on the left (they're shorter) and the common on the right (they get taller).  As I mentioned yesterday, it seems that planting THESE three is the first in a series of dominos that can fall:  clean up tree above/scrub shrub --> plant th

Fire Pit Boundary Shrub Exploration - April 2022

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Today marks the fourth in the running series of exploration posts around how I am thinking and planning for shrubs this season.  Getting going on shrubs - both deciduous and evergreen - is my #1 priority for this growing season and I've taken the past few posts to talk thru - on the blog - my thoughts. The three previous beds that I walked thru are: 1. A 20' area where I need to replace some lilacs with an evergreen layer and three Tardiva Hydrangeas . 2. An adjacent spot that calls for a similar (but different) evergreen layer fronted by three dwarf Little Lime Hydrangeas that are planted in a way to NOT foreclose a potential path. 3. The area that lays at the feet of the pair of Greenspire Linden trees along our fence line close to our patio that calls for some formal evergreens. Today I wanted to talk about the fence-side of our fire pit.  Here's what the area looks like currently below.  The annotated photo shows what is currently in place:  Red = existing matur

Another Belgian Fence (Maybe) - Defining the Patio Space, Entrance and Screening

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Yesterday, I posted a new photo of a Belgian Fence espalier that sits on the side of the Main Street USA train station at Disneyland Park in California and mentioned that I can learn something about spacing by looking at how they put their (non-tree) Belgian fence together to get a 4-wide x 2-tall diamond pattern.  I also posted earlier this month a 'progress shot' of my mixed apple (fruit and crab) Belgian Fence that is in the second growing season .   I was recently reading this piece on espalier design and usage where I came across this little note that made me think (again) about a second Belgian Fence.  From the post :   "Consider using a Belgian Fence to create outdoor rooms. Their design will impress year-round and provide a wall-like privacy when in bloom. During the holidays, they are prime candidates for Christmas lights." What's that you say? Outdoor room.  Hmmm....Interesting. Privacy wall.  Tell me more.   Christmas lights....well... I've spent

Clematis Vine Planted In Container - Spring 2018

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I'm giving Clematis another go of it - this time in Downers in our new yard.  Welp, actually, I'm giving it a go in a pot.  With a trellis embedded into the back of the pot.  In the photo above, you can see the vine as it was when I got it from Home Depot.  Below, you can see the tag that shows of the variety: Clematis H.F. Young.   The photo above only shows the small trellis that came with the container, but you'll have to trust me here that the larger trellis is, indeed, in place.    I grew Clematis in our old house in Elmhurst.  Here is a photo from 2014 when one of our then three Clematis was taking off.   I had planted the vines directly in the ground then, but this time, I'm trying a pot.  Why?  Because, I'm hoping that the trellis plus this climbing vine will provide some level of screening for our patio and give us a sense of privacy.  I found this piece that provided some tips on the best way to grow Clematis in a container (hint...larger conta

Last Look @ Sideyard Pre-Hornbeam Hedge Installation

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I've posted a few times about our plan to add some European Hornbeams to the side yard alongside of our screened porch to provide some privacy from our neighbor's house.  In the photo above, you see the run of fence that will soon be lined with some 2.5" caliper trees.  You can go back to this post to see the drawing of where they are located , but they're going to cling to the fenceline and, I hope, peek over the top of the fence.  In the photo above, you can also see the grade difference with the porch on the left being a good four or five feet above where the bottom of the fence is located.  Once these trees mature a bit, they'll end up growing into a hedge of sorts ( like this ) and we'll be able to enjoy the screened porch without looking at our neighbors smoking cigarettes on their back stoop.  With April here, I'm just waiting word from the landscaper as to when these trees can be dug up and planted in our yard.  I took this photo a few week

First Look at Potential Backyard "Entrance" Solution #1

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In the past couple of posts, I've talked about the need for backyard planning in our #newoldbackyard including the placement of a potential pizza oven and pavilion and my desire (despite Nat's properly-grounded resistance) to incorporate a waterfall/water feature into the 'entrance' of the backyard along with some stone stairs .   Because we've been so deliberate about all the choices that went into our New Old Farmhouse, I thought it was only appropriate that we enlisted some professionals when thinking about phase 2 of our landscape design and specifically to help us figure out the best way to provide some privacy screening and transition from the front yard to the backyard - as this will be the main traffic route for us and guests.  If you look back at this post that shows the pizza oven placement options , you can see the existing patio that we are working with and if you peek back at this post that shows a photo of this so-called 'entrance' to the

New Espaliered Linden Trees

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Earlier in May, I posted about one of what I called 'troublesome privacy spots' in our new backyard .  This post, covers what I think will be the solution to the other one of those 'troublesome privacy spots' - this time being on the south side of our lot close to our neighbor's patio.   We're looking into fences and will likely get a 6' privacy fence close to the house, tapering down to a four-foot fence for the balance of the yard, but I'm also taking this opportunity to try something I've wanted to for a while:   espalier'ing a pair of trees. Don't know what an espalier tree is?   Here's a post that chronicles the history of the practice  that is worth reading, but in a nutshell it is the intersection of the science of how things grow with the art of gardening.  You trim and train trees to be just two-dimensional objects.  That's espalier. At our previous place, our landscape architect spec'd an espaliered fruit tree alo

1 of 2 Troublesome "Privacy" Spots In Our New Backyard

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Above is a photo of the northern side of our new lot in our backyard that is almost immediately outside our backdoor.  That fence, it turns out, belongs to our neighbor to the north, but is installed incorrectly (with the 'good side' facing his side and a bit too tall), so things are changing, I believe.  We've heard from our builder that the fence might be coming down and getting readjusted.  But, we hope it isn't going away.  That's because it is shielding their driveway - which is currently occupied by a few project cars and some other larger items. We are investigating a fence for ourselves (btw, this would be our second fence. Here's a post from way back in 2011 when I was staining our newly installed fence at our old place .) , but because of the way the lot is graded, this part of the property is a lot lower than the middle part, where our house is located.  That means that it is really easy to basically see 'over' the current fence.  And if

Good Guy Facebook? (Errr...Today is Safer Internet Day 2016)

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I got to login to The Facebook this morning and I'm greeted with this prompt in the middle of my newsfeed.  It is a dinosaur from Facebook welcoming me to do a 'Privacy Checkup'.  How nice of them. I have the majority of my settings in there set to "Just me".  Like...."Who can see your posts?"  "Just me." So, pardon my skepticism here.  But...are the fine folks at Facebook asking me to check my settings to see if I'll loosen them up?  Or...are they *really* being good guys here?  And providing all users an opportunity to review what they have set up.  If that's the case?  Then...good on you, Facebook.  Appreciate the nag to check the settings! *UPDATE at Noon* Turns out today is "Safer Internet Day 2016"?!?  And *that's* why The Facebook ran that security check.  Nice work. But...they were outdone by the smarties over at Google.   If you ran through a security check with Google, they not only gave you a little pa