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Morton Arboretum Plant Sale 2026 Buys - Sun Kings and All Golds - May 2026

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Something that I included on my 2026 to-do list (#15) is to focus on repetition vs. planting net-new things.  I wrote this: 15. Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new.   I had this same one in my 2025 list . This is a reminder to future Jake who is staring at the tables at the nursery this Summer. Stop. Focus. More of what we have, not wandering diversity. See #1, #3, #8. That means: Sun Kings, Autumn Ferns, Ajuga, Sedums, Carex, Autumn Moor Grasses, Hakonecholas, Astilbes, Nepeta and annuals. For shrubs, it means Viburnums. Well...this here is 'Future Jake' and I'm here to report on what I came home with from the annual Morton Arboretum Plant Sale. And the report contains good news: I bought more of things I already have including Sun Kings and Hakonechloa Grasses. Below are some photos of the plant sale signs and the trios of one-gallon containers that I bought of each kind: These are the third collection of Sun Kings that I'll have in the backyar...
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Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' In Bloom - Early May 2026

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The clumps of spreading (kind-of) groundcover named Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' are at their peak in early May this growing season.  After a period of foliage growth in April (that followed a seemingly mild Winter) on these, they're now in full bloom.  Purple/blue flowers standing tall.  In various pockets of the garden including these three clusters in the 'nook' garden bed along the front edge of that border. You can see them below.  These went in as part of a 'garden edit' in 2024 .   There were more back a few years, but I think that some of them were impacted by Winter 2024/2025.   #20 on my 2026 to-do list this year is to 'keep going with groundcover' .  Moments like this with Ajuga are a good reminder why that's a good idea.  
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Starting Dahlia Tubers Indoors - 20 Days Later - Early May 2026

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In mid-April, I began the process of potting up my dahlia tubers for the year.  They are MOSTLY tubers that I have grown in previous years that I dug up and stored over winter using the Saran Wrap method .  I began by trying to divide the tubers into viable 'clumps'.  After watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I learned that tubers need to also have part of the 'neck' attached to them in order for an 'eye' to sprout.  Without that 'eye', the tuber is 'blind' and won't ever put up shoots.   I ended up potting up close to 100 tubers in one-gallon nursery containers and after watering the potting mix (just a little bit), carried them all down to my basement to begin what I call 'sprout watch' .   From what I understand, these tubers (if they are viable) have enough energy stored in them to produce the initial growth and don't need too much water in order to begin their annual cycle.  Too much water and you end up rotting the tuber, so...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Doublefile Viburnum in Bloom - Early May 2026

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All three of the treeform Doublefile Viburnum shrubs are in bloom right now in the garden and they're putting on a pretty good show with their white flowers and horizontal branching.  Standing tall on top of that 'treeform' base, they look really good right now. I've posted about these in-bloom over the years.  Here's a post from May 2024 .  Here they are in late May 2025 - last year .  These are a bit further ahead than the past two years as they began blooming at the end of April.   Below are photos of all three of the treeform versions.  First up is the largest one and the shrub that is closest to the house.  It has branches that cascade down and out.  Here's a close-up of those lace-cap flower clusters below.  They start as tight balls and open-up into creamy-white petals.   Next up is the second one along the same fenceline, just a little bit further back.  This one is slightly smaller and not as far along, but still ...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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First Feeding of Disneyland Roses - May 2026

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Over the years, I've adopted a multi-step approach to feeding and treating the (now) five Disneyland Rose bushes on the southside of our house.  These have suffered from pests and diseases in some years.  Sawfly larvae and blackspot.  At least, that's what I'm pretty sure was attacking them.  At the same time, I've read that Floribunda roses are 'heavy eaters' - meaning they need fertilizer to grow and bloom. The first step in my approach to keeping the Disneyland Roses healthy is a monthly application of a 3-in-1 granular treatment.  It is a 'systemic' treatment, meaning that the benefits get picked-up, overtime, through the root system.  I posted about this one year ago (May 2025) , when I talked how I was trying to get ahead of the problems.   I sprinkle less-than-a-capful around the base of the crown of each one this past week.  You can see the white granules in the photo below: The product I've been using is this Bioadvanced "All-in-One...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Another Columnar Hornbeam Tree? Yes, Please. May 2026

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Imagine my surprise when I came across an upright tree amongst a bunch of other shade trees in the parking lot nursery recently that was leaf'ing out ahead of the others.  And, it was leaf'ing out with thin, vertical-heading branches all the way down to the ground.  See below for a photo showing the tree(s) in question mixed in amongst other taller, traditional shade tree trunks: What is that?   I walked closer and noticed the foliage.   Wait a second....I know those leaves.   That's a Hornbeam.  A columnar hornbeam.   There's no tag, but I know what I'm looking at and it is an upright, narrow, columnar Hornbeam.   I have those.  And I love them .  Off I went to grab a cart to load one of these trees on-to.  It is sitting in a 15-gallon pot and appears to be pot-grown because the roots are peeking out of the bottom holes.  Not ball-and-burlap stuck in a pot.  It rang up at a price that is too-good-...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Two Baby Blue Spruce Trees - IB2DWs - Spring Growth - May 2026

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In the Fall of 2023, I (also) planted a pair of small Baby Blue Spruce trees in the (then) newly expanded IB2DWs bed.  They were both in five-gallon containers and were small trees that were 50%-off at the end-of-year sale.    $50 for the pair .  Looking back, that's pretty good.   When I planted these, I talked about how they are dwarf trees - hence the name 'Baby Blue'.  That means they are very slow-growing and add just a few inches per year.   This will be the third full growing season (Planted in Fall 2023, so 2024, 2025 and now 2026), but I'd certainly declare these as 'slow-to-grow'.   Below are a couple of photos showing the current state of these two trees.   First up, is the tree planted further West (closer to the house).  This one is less-perfectly-pyramidal in shape.  It almost looks like it is leaning over to the right.  And...that might be the case, because of the growing canopy of the growin...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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