Why I Oughta...

One of the new (to me) dahlias this season is blooming:  Peaches-N-Cream.  I bought two tubers from Bonny Blooms in November and they arrived this Spring.  (Note:  they arrived what I consider to be 'late' and they were...well...small.  They *were* tubers, but single tubers.  Which, I think is totally normal.  But, most of the tubers I've bought were larger.  And...perhaps less desirable.) One of the Peaches-n-Cream dahlias is planted IB2DWs.  Down closer to the sidewalk.   Because of that (previously mentioned) late arrival, I don't think that I pinched this one back like I have done with most of the other tubers.  Or, maybe because the tuber was 'small' is the reason why this isn't very "bush-y" of a plant.  Either way...I opted to cut deeply on this first bloom.  Hoping to stimulate some lower branching and growth.   Below are a couple of photos showing this beauty.  Pinks and oranges.  I proba...

The hedge of Frans Fontaine Hornbeam trees along the side of our house have continued to grow.  And that means they're encroaching on the boardwalk that is used to get from the front to our backyard along that same side.  Last year, I pruned these trees (just a little bit) to get the lower limbs off the boardwalk/screened porch.   This year, I did the same thing. Below are some photos showing the before/after and how little I took off.  Ummm...just the tip(s).  (Mostly).   On the left is the 'before', on the right is the 'after'.  I deliberately didn't take back/take-off too much as I like the idea of creating a little 'portal' to the backyard.  Hide-and-reveal. Miegakure.   Here is an animated image of the before/after portal haircut: Before and After Pruning Frans Fontaine European Hornbeam Trees Thinking about this area reminds me:   There's something hanging out there on my 2026 to-do list: plant something on the boardwalk...

Even more varieties (and types) of dahlias are beginning to bloom in the various planting pockets around the front, side and back yard.  I'll start with some new (meaning...first time blooming *this year*) and then move on to some ones that I've cut previously this season. First up is my favorite dahlia:  Milena Fleur.  The very first bloom opened up.  This was the dahlia that made me plant dahlias.  I should have planted MORE of these plants.   Next is Pooh.  A collarette dahlia that I grew last year and was a prolific tuber-grower.  I divided two plants into 17 different tubers that I started in pots.  2 to 17.  This first bloom might be the best Pooh Dahlia bloom that I've ever grown.  It has a color-quality to it that is DIFFERENT than last year. Pooh Collarette Dahlia - Red, yellow and white petals in bloom. Now, moving on to the dahlia blooms that I've cut and posted photos of from earlier in July.  First up is this ...

A week ago, I posted a 'getting to know' post about Little Lamb Lamb's ear and talked up some of its features as a groundcover.   So, it wasn't hard to 'add to cart' with a couple of small quart-sized plugs when I saw them at a 50% off sale at the Big Box store.  As for finding a home for them, I opted to fill-in a gap at the very front of the Island bed down by the sidewalk that I had previously tried to fill with some Chocolate Chip Ajuga plugs .  Some of those planted earlier this year have made it (so far) and some of them didn't.   The two Little Lamb Lamb's Ears filled the gap.  See below for them on the very front of this bed: I'll see how these do in the early days and then decide if I should bring home a few more to fill in some space and create even more 'living mulch'. I had previously planted 43 groundcover plants for the season (7 sedges, 36 ajuga plugs), so these two get me up to 45 for the season.  

Dahlia cut flower season 1 rolls on with my first (ever) white dahlia bloom.  A first (for me) Tsuki Yori No Shisha (Semi-Cactus) Dahlia white bloom that I cut on long stems.  This is planted IB2DWs, sort-of under the Bald Cypress tree along the driveway.   See below for the flower and a couple of secondary buds that I cut-off when I took this bloom.  (I hate this part of the dahlia cut flower season when I end up sacrificing so many flowers in service of seeking longer stems.) Below shows the two sacrificial buds on either side of the big bloom.  My experience says that dahlias don't *REALLY* open up once they are cut, so those two will stay semi-closed buds.   Tsuki Yori No Shisha (Semi-Cactus) Dahlia Bloom Longfield Gardens has a listing up that includes this description : This stunning semi-cactus dahlia was bred in Japan and introduced in 1953. Its delicately fringed, snowy white petals give the big, 6 to 7" flowers a frilly look that w...

In the pizza oven bed, I have a lone, solitary Alchemilla Mollis 'Thriller' (Lady's Mantle) that I planted near the corner of the timbers of the retaining wall.  You can see it in the photos of this post about adding a new (to me) allium variety to that same bed .    I also bought a different variety (Auslese) a few years back and planted it in a spot that is buried in Ostrich Ferns.  I should go see if I can move that thing..... The reason I bring it up is that I was...well...influenced.   I saw this post from Erin the Impatient Gardener where she fawns over Alchemilla Mollis (Lady's Mantle) in her garden: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener (@impatientgardener) One of my garden rules is to never buy one of anything.  So, I needed to remedy that issue.   Also, #3 and #4 on my 2026 to-do list are these: For #3 (Finish up the edit with grasses), I have made progress....