Why I Oughta...

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...

We have a single, lone white Begonia that is in an outdoor container on our front porch.  I'm actually not sure where it came from, but we've had it for a couple of years.  Yes, years.  This one has been overwintered indoors in our dining room and cared-for by Natalie along with her other house plants.   I usually take photos of plants that I buy (along with the container and/or plant label), but a quick search through Google Photos for [white begonia] turns up nothing.  So, I have no intel on what this might be. But, that doesn't mean it isn't a lovely flower.  Especially right now.  In late October.  It is full of delicate, white ruffled blooms with yellow centers.  Here, below, are a couple of photos.  First one shows the full plant.  Second one is a close-up of the bloom: I'll bring this inside this week and begin to transition it towards living indoors.  First, with a stop in the screened porch, then into the dining r...

A few years back, after researching Japanese Maples , I ended up buying my first Emperor 1 Japanese Maple.  Emperor 1 is similar to Bloodgood Japanese Maple in looks (dark leaf), but it seems it might be a bit more cold tolerant, so it works well in our Zone 6a/5b border garden. I bought the Emperor 1 and planted it back by the firepit .  That was 2021.  2024 was one of those 17-year cicada years here in the suburbs of Chicago.  That means that we were SWARMED by them.  I did the best I could to try to protect some things with tulle, but they're aggressive and ended up killing off that Emperor 1 .  It was pretty good sized at the time.  Before it was lost, I came across a second one.  Smaller.  From a Big Box nursery.  In May of 2023, I planted it in the front edge of the [kitchen curved] bed in our backyard .  It was a bit taller than knee-high, but not quite up to my waist. By August that first year (August 2023), the tree had put...

A couple of days ago, I posted some photos of the first few Sweet Nathalie dahlia blooms that have (finally) opened up on my lone (single) Sweet Nathalie decorative dahlia plant.  I talked about how it was *very* late arriving, but I wasn't quite sure why it was so far behind.  Not enough light?  Perhaps.  It is tucked in amongst some grasses and hydrangeas and didn't get the best access to the full, open sky. But, I also have another late-arriving dahlia.  And, this one is even FURTHER behind Sweet Nathalie.  And, it doesn't suffer from the same light conditions.  Rather, this one is situated in a good spot.  Just a few feet from other, well-grown dahlias (aside from the spider mite damage...).  But, it has a different issue:  a late start.   That dahlia is the one that started the whole dahlia craze (at least, I think it did?):  Cafe au Lait.   I wrote a post in late May about how a couple of my tubers weren't...