Why I Oughta...

Another day, another Spring growth on evergreen post in the garden diary.  This time, it is a similar trio of Green Velvet Boxwoods, but these are planted a year earlier, in June 2022 .  These shrubs started as TINY (TINY!) evergreen shrubs planted in a cluster IB2DWs, under the flowering pear tree along the north property line.    Take a quick look here to see how small they were when they went in the ground . Now in their fifth growing season ('22, '23, '24, '25 and now '26), they've taken a more globe-shape and have nicely rounded crowns.   See below for the current view of these three: Back when I put them in, I mentioned wanting 'structure' and 'Winter interest' in this bed.  We're starting to see those dynamics come to life.  

This is another update on some shrubs that went in the ground in that epic Fall Planting cycle of October 2023.  Evergreens, like the Montrose Charm and Weeping Norway Spruce trees that I updated here in the [garden diary] the past two days.  But, this post is about evergreen shrubs.  Specifically, three Green Velvet Boxwoods that went in alongside the garage on the northside of our house .   If there is anything that I've planted in our garden that I have neglected the most, it might be these three Boxwoods.   They're now on their third growing season and I haven't once thought about them.  Other than to remove the carcass of the dead pair of dogwood tries that I tried in this spot.  Looking back at the photos showing those trees , I was on to something.  The big, blank white wall needs to be filled in some way.  (More on that in a separate post.) These three Green Velvet Boxwoods started their life as tiny, one-gallon shrubs....

Yesterday, I posted a couple of photos showing the purple (or are they red?) cones on our Weeping Norway Spruce trees that are planted in the IB2DWs bed in our front yard.  Those trees went in the ground in Fall of 2023.  But, so did a few other conifers in that same "Fall Planting" cycle.  One of those conifer trees that also went in the ground in October 2023 was a small, ball-and-burlap Montrose Charm White Spruce tree .  It was a pretty small tree in Fall of 2023.  And, a little mal-shaped.  Today, in its third full growing season, it has taken on a more traditional profile and shape as an upright, narrow conifer tree.   It has also put on some mass and height.   Below is a look at the current view of the tree - showing the full conifer from ground to tip: But, something else is happening this Spring.  Something that didn't happen in previous years.  That's the green cones have burst from the tips of this tree and are putt...

I planted a pair of small Weeping Norway Spruce trees IB2DWs in the Fall of 2023 and that experience has changed how I think about Fall Planting in general.  I've planted a ton of trees on our property, but these late-season conifers have been some of the most enjoyable to watch grow.  Not just because the Fall Planting allowed them to get established, but because of how they provide structure and four-season interest in a long, linear bed that sits between two driveways (hence the IB2DWs name).   That means that this is their third (full) growing season (2024, 2025 and now 2026).  In each of the first two Springs, we saw some red cones emerge on the trees and that has been a real treat. Here is a post from Spring 2024 showing the red (or purple?) cones .  And, here is a post from early May 2025 (a little under a year ago from today) showing those same red/purple cones.   Back in February, when there was snow-cover on the ground, I posted a phot...

Last year, I planted three new (to me) ferns from the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale: Godzilla Japanese Painted Ferns . Athyrium 'Godzilla'.  They were billed as being as large (when mature) as four-to-six-feet in span.  That's B-I-G.   Last year, mine certainly didn't get *that big*.  But, they seemed to do just fine.  Because, this Spring, all three of them have emerged from dormancy.  See below for a shot of this area.   Hard to identify the fern crowns, right?  Here, below is an annotated version showing the locations: These are 'stumpery adjacent' and if they actually grow to their full-size, will fill in this space.   Maybe more of these as part of the "hosta replacement plan" on the other side of the garden?

In 2024, I planted six Sun King Japanese Aralias as part of a 'garden edit' in what I call the 'nook' garden behind the Weeping Nootka Cypress tree.  I was concerned that they didn't survive their first year, because they went dormant early.  But, they came back last Spring - for their first Spring .  Because of that, I bought three more at the Morton Arboretum Arbor Day Plant Sale last Spring and planted them on the opposite side of the garden .   And they did well in their first year.  Here's mid-Summer look of that B-R-I-G-H-T foliage contrasting in the shade garden .   This Spring, I'm seeing some good news:  these are coming back (as expected) for their first Spring.  See below for a photo showing the trio of crowns emerging from the mulch on the southside bed: The Morton annual plant sale is coming up in the next few days and I'm thinking that even more of these should be near the top of my shopping list.