2022 Yard And Garden To-Do List Scorecard

While the calendar is now showing January 2023 and my focus in the yard and garden is on the year ahead, I still need to do a full and complete rundown of how I did out there in 2022.  I've done this a number of times over the years - posting an early draft in the Winter, a full list in the early Spring, typically a late-Summer/early Fall check-in and then...finally a 'season scorecard' at the end of the year.  

This post is going to focus on those 'Season Scorecards'.  

Here's my 2019 'Season Scorecard'.  12/17. 70% complete.

Here's my 2020 'Season Scorecard'.  22 of 25 complete. 88%.

Here's my 2021 'Season Scorecard'.   17.5 completes. 2 semi-completes. 5.5 not-completes. 70%.

This is the final 'Season Scorecard' for 2022.   

I completed an Early-Fall check-in on the list in September and at that time, I found:

6 in green. 24% complete.

12 in orange. 48% mixed or incomplete.

7 in red.  28% not started and no progress.

How did I end up doing on the 25 items on my 2022 to-do list? Did I get to more than the 18 that I thought I'd get done?

 
1. Focus on shrubs. Done.
2. Buy Perennials that work one of three ways. Done.
3. Build the 'upper' retaining wall by screened porch. Nope.
4. Enhance the "in between two driveways" strip. Done.
5. Fall in love with Groundcover. Done. 
6. Have even more 'fun' with trees and vines. Done. 
7. Keep working (normal) trees 3 ways. Done. 
8. Keep finding joy with houseplants. Done. 
9. Test and Learn With Landscape Lighting. Done. 
10. Continue a few seasonal projects. Done. 
11. Lawn Schedule, Overseeding and Renovation. Done. 
12. Add more 'free plants' through division. Done. 
13. Composting Improvements and Schedule. Done. 
14. Expand my use of tropicals and sub-tropicals in the garden. Done. 
15. Add a second backyard retractable water hydrant. Mixed. 
16. Design with dark foliage and add color with shade annuals. Done. 
17. Get back in the Bird Feeding Groove. Nope.
18. Make a more permanent Fairy Garden setup. Mixed.
19. Improve front porch bed mulch and soil conditions. Done.
20. Stain the patio container. Nope. 
21. Enhance fire pit area. Done.
22. Add a water feature. Nope.
23. Upgrade garden tools. Done.  
24. Clean up the south side gate entrance area. Mixed. 
25. Build a Versailles planter box. Nope.

That's 17 done and completed.  Three (3) mixed.  And five (5) not done.

17/25 = 68%

Combining my mixed + done = 20/25.  That's 80%.  

That would come in somewhere near (either) the bottom performance or somewhere in the middle - depending on if we're counting the 'mixed' ones in the positive column.  

Let's first look at the three 'mixed' results.

15.  Second Yard Hydrant.  Why is it mixed?  Because I was able to get the retractable hose reel.  But, I failed to permanently 'mount' it.  

18.  Fairy Garden.  I didn't make it 'permanent', but we did upgrade the container.  

24.  Did I 'clean up' the area?  Kind of.  I transplanted a Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass division near the gate.  And I divided some of the 'sunburned' hostas on the other side of the gate.  Did I solve the flagstone steppers or add a 'landing' to the front of the gate?  No.  Hence the 'mixed' tag.

Next, let's look at the 'nope' items.  There were five of them.

3. Build the upper retaining wall.  Thought a lot about it.  Just didn't pull the trigger.  Big miss.

17.  Get back into bird feeding.  I started, but didn't stick with it.  

20.  Stain the patio container.  This one has been on the list for years.  Letting it naturally age instead.

22.  Add a water feature.  Same thing:  stuck in neutral.

25.  Build a Versailles box.  See water feature and wall.  Whiff.  Not even, a swing, really.

Finally, the 17 ones in green. 

1. Focus on shrubs. This one was done in a MASSIVE way. Really happy here. Too many posts to link, but it looks like 20 shrubs planted.  

2. Buy Perennials that work one of three ways.  A few evergreens.  More Ferns. More Hellebores and even more Coral Bells. 

4. Enhance the "in between two driveways" strip.  Added more grass divisions.  Planted boxwoods and drought-tolerant perennials.   And a Prairie Dropseed native. 

5. Fall in love with Groundcover.  Planted more than 20 sedges/carex in various places.   And some Ajuga in front and back.   And moved some Lungwort. 

6. Have even more 'fun' with trees and vines.  I set up the Crabapples with some temporary frames.  And pruned the Horizontal Cordon Lindens, too.  And, I trellis'd the Hops vine this Summer. 

 
7. Keep working (normal) trees 3 ways.  Planted trees large and small. 9 total trees planted this year.  Measured calipers.  And treated them multiple ways. I also upgraded some of the Kentucky Coffee Tree seedling containers. 

 

8. Keep finding joy with houseplants.   I stuck with it on Staghorn Ferns.  Grew Amaryllis bulbs.  And more.  

9. Test and Learn With Landscape Lighting.  I installed some uplights in the backyard.  Didn't post on it.  Should have.  

10. Continue a few seasonal projects. Tons of these were done.  I protected the Disneyland Roses. Planted and grew bulbs various ways. Worked firewood.  Protected shrubs from rabbits. Composted.  Harvested tree nuts. Fed and treated everything.  And more.

11. Lawn Schedule, Overseeding and Renovation.   This is A BIG ONE.  I figured out that we have Nimblewill.  Treated it.  And then renovated with a pre-germinated mix of grass seed.  And had good results.  I didn't do a soil test, however.  

12. Add more 'free plants' through division.   Did a ton of dividing.  Ferns, hostas, grasses.  More than 25 'free' plants this season.

13. Composting Improvements and Schedule.  Turned the bins, used the compost.  Filled it again. 

14. Expand my use of tropicals and sub-tropicals in the garden.  Planted a Canna for the first time.  Will do more of these next year. 

16. Design with dark foliage and add color with shade annuals.   Planted Caladium tubers.  And added the dark purple ajuga groundcover. 

19. Improve front porch bed mulch and soil conditions.   I spread compost (my own).  Bought even more composted manure (from the hardware store) for the Norway Maple grindings.  And worked in some nitrogen - via Alfalfa cubes - to the hydrophobic mulch. 

21. Enhance fire pit area.   Planted some evergreen shrubs and carex back there. 

23. Upgrade garden tools.  This one is marked 'done' but I still have to post about it. 

That is a run-through of the items on the list.  But, like most other years, there are items/projects/plantings that were NOT on the list that need to be mentioned - as they add some weight to the completed item list.

1.  I planted a 3.5" caliper tree in our front yard and took down the troubled Norway Maple.  I also learned about 'wrapping' for sun scald young tree trunks. 

2.  I planted a new, very small parkway tree.  I mentioned above that there were nine trees planted.  This one is a hedge against future parkway tree decline. 

3.  The lawn renovation was a big undertaking.  And, in the course of doing the project, I learned quite a bit.  

My plan is to start putting together my thoughts on an 'early look' for a 2023 to-do list that will serve as a winter-time draft.  I already know that a number of items - both completed and not completed will carry over to 2023.