Late Season 2020 To-Do List Check-in (October 2020)

I've begun my Fall cleanup around the yard the past few days.  That means that in addition to beginning to mulch in some of the woody perennials, I've begun leaf cleanup.  There is still come time left in the season, so I thought I'd go through my 2020 To-Do List to see if there are any items that I can cross off before I put the yard to bed for the season.  

Back in February, I set out my list for the year that included 25 items.  Seven items were for planting.  Three were in the yard.  Seven were for trees.  Two in the beds.  Four in building structures.  And a few others that are the only item in their category.

Then in June, I did a mid-season check-in.  I had completed 13 of the 25 tasks.  

Let's have a look at the list as it stands today:

1. Plant Area #1 (oak leaf hydrangeas).
2. Build the 'bridge' in Priority Area #2 - between the Hornbeams and Mighty Oak.
3. Get the walkway installed/spec'd in behind the Yews along with some other plantings. Or start it on the north side behind the Mighty Oak.
4. Do another round of soil tests to see if I've moved the needle.
5. Wage battle against the Wild Onions. Remove what I can. And hopefully have it better this year.
6. Install aeration in my 3-bin compost pile. And get better about kitchen waste and composting it. Likely involves a dedicated receptacle.
7. Grow some vegetables. Ideally in a raised bed. But, if not, just grow something we can eat.
8. Find cheap fruit trees (that include pollinators) and plant a Belgian Fence (somewhere).
9. Work on the turf in the front. Main = same as last year. Parkway/northside of drive = improve.
10. Go down the Cocoa Bean Mulch route and expand usage.
11. Build something. A garden chair. A Versailles box. A Raised bed. Insect houses.  A Wattle Fence. A bird nesting box/platform that I posted about two days ago. Firewood racks.
12. Paint the patio container box.
13. Replace the lost Weeping Cedar with another Weeping tree. Or a contorted tree.
14. Plant a couple of patio trees (Maybe redbuds?) and/or figure out the 'focal point' and garden nook.
15. Sort (definitively) Walnuts from invasive trees in the backyard.
16. Protect our front boxwoods from Winter damage.
17. Try growing flowers from seed, harden them off and, ultimately, plant outside in the beds.
18. Add a front yard tree.
19. Connect a bed or two together. Like the Linden Espalier with foundation bed and add flagstone steppers or connect the Yew hedge bed to (at least one) side(s) and mulch it.
20. Figure out the north side walkway/pavers.
21. Buy an Arborvitae and begin training it for topiary.
22. Add a large(r) conifer tree that can handle some shade. Or a deciduous tree. Likely behind the 2nd largest Oak on the south fence line.
23. Relocate Foster plants from Naperville.
24. Add a columnar tree. Could be front or back.
25. Place the dream backyard pizza oven footprint and/or dream backyard pond (and maybe river??) footprint.

Seems the items remaining are #12 (paint/stain the patio container), #14 is *kinda* done - I left some wiggle room by grouping patio trees and nook trees.  I planted the Harry Lauder nook tree.  #16 - protect the boxwoods.  #21 - buy an arborvitae and start a topiary.  #22 - again...*kinda* done.  And #23 - relocate foster plants isn't done.

So, that's just (#12, #21, #23) remaining.  I still have time to do these, but I'm most hopeful about working the boxwoods with burlap.  

That would put me at 23 of 25 - or 92%.  I'll do one more check-in on this list once we get snow and have it complete.