Bird's Nest Spruce Planted - IB2DWs - October 2023

What does my IB2DWs bed lack?  Well...to be fair, it lacks a lot.  But what I'm (mostly) talking about are conifers.  Evergreens.  Remember...Conifers Should Come First.  I've failed at that.  But, I can make up for it, I hope.  My #2 priority was to plant evergreens IB2DWS.  And my #1 was to add more evergreens.  I've started by posting about one of two Baby Blue Spruce trees that I planted in the extended IB2DWs bed.  Today, I'm sharing that I planted a Bird's Nest Spruce in the currently planted IB2DWs bed.  You can see it above - it is to the west of the Cat's Pajamas Nepeta and a few feet set back from the driveway.

It was five bucks.  What's not to like about that?  I have a Bird's Nest Spruce in the back that was devoured by rabbits.  I've moved it once and need to move it again.  

Here's the container - Bird's Nest Spruce - Picea abies 'Nidiformis' - which NC State calls a 'dwarf needled evergreen shrub'.  

As for keeping score on a few fronts, let's first start with the Fall Planting Tally.

My 2023 Fall Planting List - so far - includes a number of new and divided plants.  One tree.  Two shrubs.

Now up to 34 new plants.  3 new via division.  1 Tree.  38 total for 2023 #FallPlanting.  21 of them are groundcover plants.  Five sedums.

• Five divided Everillo Sedges - Carex Everillo - from one sedge with Center rot in the backyard.
• A Sempervivum ‘Hopewell’ - a succulent-looking Chicks and Hens planted down by the sidewalk - IB2DWs. 
• Two Sedum spurium 'Voodoo' - IB2DWs - to attempt to outcompete the Creeping Jenny.
• Split three Elijah Blue Fescue clumps into six - IB2DWs along the driveway.
• A single Burgundy Glow Ajuga along the driveway IB2DWs.  Lots of groundcover IB2DWs, this Fall.
• Eight Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' planted - five in the island bed.  Three along south front porch bed border. 
• A Cardoon - IB2DWs - that I'm not sure is going to make it.  I'm going to mulch it in VERY heavily this Winter. 
• Two Silver Mound Artemisias planted IB2DWs - close to the current planted bed. 
• A dwarf, fern-like shrub:  Matcha Ball Ash Leaf Spirea planted in the front porch bed. 
• Three Pentsemon 'Midnight Masquerade' dark foliage perennials planted in the new/extended IB2DWs bed.  
• Two Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' plants, in the front yard by the Sweetspire. 
• Three Greenlee Moor Grasses - Sesleria Greenlee Hybrid in front of the Sweetspire shrubs in front.
• A dwarf conifer: Baby Blue Spruce - planted IB2DWs extended down by the sidewalk.
• Two John Creech Sedums - planted by the Little Henry Sweetspires.  Hoping to cover and outcompete the weeds that creep up in this border. 
• Three Ruby Muhlygrasses - Planted at the end of the boardwalk in back.
• A #1 Bird's Nest Spruce planted IB2DWs by the Nepeta Cat's Pajamas, near the driveway.

As for my #1 2023 item on the list - planting evergreens.  How have I done on that?

According to my late-summer checkin post, I have planted 19 evergreens in 2023:  5 boxwoods in front, 13 boxwoods in back and a columnar scotch pine tree.  That tree has died, however.  Add the Baby Blue Spruce tree from this past week and I'm up to 20 evergreens (so far) in 2023.  With this Bird's Nest Spruce, that's 21 total.  Pretty good.