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Orange Dream Japanese Maple Planted - July 2026

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#21 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'add another ornamental maple' to the garden.  So far, this season, I've planted a pair of them:  a North Wind Korean Maple (to replace the Arctic Jade) and an Alpenglow Korean Maple under the large tree swing.  Both from Iseli Nursery. Over the years, I've moved towards those Korean Maples. Acer pseudosieboldaianum. They have performed well (aside from the Arctic Jade).  They're more cold-hardy than Acer palmatums or Acer shirasawanum or Acer japonicum. But, the pull of the traditional Japanese Maples is still strong.  When I came across an Orange Dream Japanese Maple that was priced...ummm....right, I brought it home.   Also note... I still think about the full-moon maples like this one , too.  Below are a few photos showing the foliage, the tree form and where I planted it (in the back edge of the "Kitchen Curved" bed). The leaves in Summer are green with red(ish) stems: The tree has a low-graft and is about ...
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Dead Tree Roundup - July 2026

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I recently planted a new tree (more on that tomorrow), but before I get to that, I neeed to write up a post that cleans-up my tree planting list.  There have been a bunch of "LOST" trees that I never documented, and that skews the numbers.   It is time to get the data back to clean. Starting with the Belgian Fence, there are now just two out of five apple trees remaining. Next, while not technically TOTALLY DEAD, the small Baby Blue Spruce in backyard is toast. I called it on the Arctic Jade Korean Maple.   The Hemlock the rabbit gnaw'd at is dead .     5 of 6 dead now. The Northern Red Oak by the firepit is dead.  So is an Emperor 1 by the firepit.  All the Mr. Maple trees are gone.  The pair of Dogwoods by the garage are dead, too.   That brings us to this....."Updated" running tall 2026 is our tenth tree-planting season. Overall, I've planted 110 trees on our property. Before this accounting, I was claiming 75 trees al...
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Karl Foerster Grasses - Movement, Texture and Vertical Interest In The Garden - Peak Season - July 2026

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I've written about my list of 'favorite plants'.  I started as a shade gardener on our current property which meant foliage gardening.  I've evolved in my tastes over the years and have come to appreciate a list of plants that work in our garden.   My list (right now) looks something like this:  Ferns (Autumn, Ghost, Japanese Painted, Godzilla, etc), Flowering Perennials (Nepeta Cat's Pajamas and Chartreuse on the Loose), Foliage Perennials  ( Alchemilla Lady's Mantle , Shredded Umbrella Plant), Groundcover (Ajuga and Carex) and Grasses (Hakonechloa, Seslaria Autumnalis, Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grasses).   That last one - Karl Foerster Grasses - were some of my very first grasses planted here in Downers.  And, over the years, I've divided them and spread them around.   They put on a really lovely show and are in particularly fine form in mid/late June.  I've written about "peak form" on Karl Foerster Grasses in June 2022 her...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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Waterfall Japanese Maple - Back Growing After Setback - July 2026

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In Summer 2023, I planted a low-grafted small Waterfall Japanese Maple about half-way back in our yard on the southside.  It was (at that time) my first green-leaf Japanese Maple and I planted it close to the front of the bed since it was small and growing close to the ground.   A year later, a large tree limb fell from one of the mature trees in the yard, crushing this small ornament Japanese Maple .  Basically taking ALL of the limbs off this poor tree.  The canopy was cut off by 75% in an instant.  Not good. I did the only thing I could:  leave the tree alone.   By last Summer, the tree seemed to begin to recover and put on some new growth . Looking at it today, I'm again seeing some new foliage growth and canopy expansion for the season. Below are a couple of photos showing the current state of this small Japanese Maple (weeping) tucked in amongst some hostas and the stalks of a couple of Fall-planted Allium bulbs: It is going to take a ...
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Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA
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More Stumpery Upgrades - Two More Stumps - June 2026

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#19 on my 2026 annual to-do list in the garden is to "upgrade the stumpery" in the backyard .  Those 'upgrades' are both in terms of plantings, but also what I'll (loosely) call 'place-making'.   I first came across the idea of a stumpery in late 2023 when I discovered that King Charles has a world-class stumpery .  I started building my stumpery in the backyard by throwing a few stumps that I had on-hand in the area underneath the secondary Northern Red Oak tree in the backyard along the southside. Last year, I planted a pair of Autumn Ferns and three Godzilla Ferns in the Stumpery and called it a day back there.     This year, I have opted to upgrade the Stumpery via some plantings including (at first) seven Autumn Ferns (quart-sized) that I planted behind the All Gold grasses .  I also planted six Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' plugs to the front of that same bed .  And, just this past week I posted about eight more Autumn Ferns that I planted ...
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Location: 97JRVPM8+W4
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