Why I Oughta...

Our screened porch is where we spend a lot of time watching screens. Football season, evening 'shows', etc.  It is not a four-season porch, though.  Might call it 3.5 seasons.  That's because we added Eze-Breeze four-panel windows to the frames and swapped out the screened door for a storm door with a screen.  Eze-Breeze windows are really great.  They keep the dust out.  They also - according to their product page - block UV rays which protects furniture.   And, in the cold time of the year, they keep out the wind and what I'll call 'extreme' temperatures.  They create an envelope that we can heat and be in the porch when the temps are low.  But, not too low.   I'd say that we typically get to use the porch all the way through Christmas.  Then, when Winter actually arrives in January, we're forced out of there.   That's because the 'envelope' that the Eze-Breeze windows creates is 'leaky'.  The windows ar...

The pair of Sugar Tyme Crabapple trees are currently loaded with green leaves.  But, that won't last long as they drop their leaves and reveal their structure and (hopefully) some berries that have appeared this Fall. Below are two photos showing both of them.  First, the one closer to the front of the house followed by the one located further back.   Of note, late Winter pruning and support with stakes is something I should put on my list of tasks.  The tips of the limbs are arching down due to the weight of the crabapples and foliage.  Still...these look really good and are providing a great view against the large expanse of white Hardieboard siding.

One of the current-season 'gardening wins' that I'm going to take are the three Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' plugs that I planted in mid-August down at the corner of the driveway and sidewalk .  These are in the 'island bed' and right against those hard surfaces. I watered them *a little bit*, but they mostly seemed to handle themselves.  I planted them mid-Summer, so I'm hoping they'll overwinter better than others have in the past - when I planted Ajuga as part of a "fall planting" cycle.   See below for the three little plugs and how much they've grown in 2.5 months: 

While it doesn't top the Festivus House that I posted about all the way back in 2011 , but thanks to Nat (one of the biggest BTTF fans that I know...she even rivals my friend Steve), we piled into the family truckster and drove up to Park Ridge to go see the Back to the Future Halloween Decoration house.  And, it was worth it.  Here's a look at the set-up below: Here is a quick video showing the full set-up:

A few days ago, I posted a couple of photos showing how I was using some frost covers to try to extend the dahlia-growing season just a little bit after the first 'hard frost' had arrived in our Zone.   I only have a couple of frost covers, so I wasn't covering *everything* in the garden, which lead to some things suffering from the cold.  The most-prominent plants that took the biggest hit from the frost is the coleus that I've planted as bedding plants.  In front and back.  Below are a few photos showing the 'morning after' - where the frost worked FAST to kill the Sun King coleus in the front yard island bed.   And, the large colony of Inferno Coleus in the backyard, near the patio died back, too: I'll leave this stand for a while and I assume the next time the frost arrives will be permanent for the Winter.  And, this will decline even more without the need to cut-back.  Most of the rest of the perennials weren't affected as significantl...

The last time that I checked in on the backyard pizza oven build, I showed off the full enclosure and roof and talked about how I had some success with a lower-temperature bake .  This was in late September and the oven - at that time - looked like this below.   From the front, you can see the block base and how I had made a temporary hearth landing out of a 2x6 that is supported by some firebrick cut-offs.   That was (obviously) temporary, but it has taken me a while to figure out what I wanted to do there. We seem to have landed on installing a hearth/landing ledge of Soapstone that will stick out from the front of the oven about 10-12 inches.  That will give me a little ledge/counter to work on before/after sliding the pies in/out of the oven.   But, in order to install that ledge, some permanent support needed to be installed.  Based on how I poured the hearth and placed the oven, I left myself four-or-five inches of space to build on top...

The last few nights, we were getting freeze and frost warnings from the National Weather Service.  That means that the gardening season is coming to a hard close.  All of our dahlias, however, still have flowers and tons of buds on them.  Before the frost arrived, I cut everything that I could (more on that later), but for most of them, I opted to leave on some of the smaller buds and took action:  covered most of them with frost blankets.  And...crossed my fingers.   Here, below, is one of the Wizard of Oz Dahlias that I wrapped in a frost blanket.  Will the plant make it?  We'll know tomorrow.   The forecast calls for temperature moderation over the next week or more.  So, all I'm looking to do is to simply try to 'extend' part of the growing season with some of the dahlias for another few days.  

I don't have to read the press release on this new (to me) launch to *JUST KNOW* that it says something like:   "Two iconic Chicago food brands collaborate to bring to market an only-in-Chicago product:  Chicago Pizza popcorn."      The story writes itself.  But...I'll admit:  the 'collab' (I hate saying that) is a genuinely good one.  A really good fit.  Garrett has the best corn in town.  And Home Run Inn (even if I am a homer for them because of Nat and our friends) is the best in the business when it comes to pizza.   So, it was natural that when I came across this bag of Chicago Pizza Popcorn, I brought home a couple.   Does it takes like pizza?  Yeah...kinda.  Does it taste like Home Run Inn?  Not sure.   But, does that matter?  No.  This is a fun buy.  An easy 'add to cart' if you see it.    Bring it to your next party and it will CERTAINLY be a conversatio...

Earlier this Fall, we went down to check out both the Barstool College Football Show and Fox's Big Noon Kickoff at the University of Illinois.  I wrote about the first visit for the Southern Cal game here in late September .  Both productions (and they were BIG productions) set-up shop in Grange Grove on the West side of the (Gies) Memorial Stadium in what is typically a quiet corner of the Grove.  (We were at an earlier game this season when the crews weren't there and there was a corporate hospitality tent in the same corner that BNK was set-up).  Seeing both of these shows was a fun experience, but due to our arrival time (We walked into Grange Grove right as Barstool was wrapping up and before Big Noon was starting), most of the 'space' was filled in, so we were standing near the back.  With the KoTBT being well...a kid...that meant that his 'line of sight' is such that if we moved in closer, he couldn't see anything.  Not to mention the signs and such ...

The season REALLY *is* winding down now.  And the colors of the Melina Fleur dahlias are changing color to be much more middle-pink with little yellow appearing aside from the center seed head.  These three went out the door to folks all at the same time.  They each have some Dusty Miller, Arkansas Bluestar and some fern fronds in them.  Each of them are in thrifted or recycled jars (mason or jelly).  My rough count shows that these are (around) the 40th arrangement of the season.  A few with roses, but mostly these ball, pompon and decorative dahlias.

There I was, buying some self-leveling concrete gap filler at the Home Depot big box store when I (of course) found myself wandering into the garden center to see what they had doin' in there.  In addition to all of the Christmas decor they've put up (trees, inflatables, those *REALLY STRONG SMELLING* bags of cinnamon pinecones), they also have a large display of Amaryllis bulbs.  This display seems larger than in previous years where they (iirc) mostly had those 'kits' of bulbs with peat pucks and little plastic pots.   I took a couple of photos showing the bulbs and thought it would be best to go home and try to figure out if any of these were worth buying.  We normally buy sets of these from Wannemakers, but maybe this year we should try some of these slightly smaller Christmas flowers? Here is a photo of the first set: And, here below, is a look at each of the ones in this part of the display: Blossom Peacock Amaryllis: Via Amaryllis Bulb Co :  "Bl...

You bought that big container of mums and put them on your porch.  They look good.  Now, the tough part:  keeping them alive.  And keeping them from flopping wide open and splaying. First the 'keeping them alive' part.  It is pretty easy:  water them.  And, even better...'bottom water' them via a bucket or pan that they can sit-in.  Otherwise, drag your hose over there and keep 'em wet every few days.  If you're like me and you're dragging your hose around to try to eek out the final few dahlia blooms, then just stop at your mums and spray them down. As for the second part:  keeping them from splaying wide open?  That part is pretty easy too:  Wire them up.  Here's a post that I shared all the way back in 2017 that is popular every Fall: ProTip: Tie Up Your Mums .  Every Fall since then, we've done the same thing.  Buy the big set of Mums.  Use some twine or garden wire around the perimeter of the blooms to...

This year, I planted three small Inferno Coleus annuals in the newly (this year) expanded bed at the corner of our back patio .  This was the second year of growing this red foliage plant as a bedding annual.  Last year, I put them in the front yard island bed.  By August, I was declaring them a big success as they grew into big mounds of bright color that contrasted with everything green back there.  #6 on my 2026 to-do list was to grow 'more coleus as bedding plants' , so this was in service of that goal.  Last Fall, I wrote this "In Praise of Coleus As A Bedding Plant" post and this year, I've become even more of a fan.   Below is a look at the current state of this coleus.  I let it flower and 'go to seed' late in the season after pinching off the blooms for months earlier this Summer.  The color is striking: For Fall 2025 and the 2026 season, I'd like to remember to do a few things: 1.  Expand this bed this Fall using the 'lazy b...

On my walk to the train one afternoon recently, I had enough time to stand and watch the bridges going up-and-then-down IN SEQUENCE as a handful of sailboats with tall masts moved southward along the Chicago River.  They moved quickly to raise and lower each bridge, in succession.  A neat micro-moment along the Riverwalk at Riverside Plaza this Fall. 

While I haven't stopped 'deadheading' the dahlias, I *have* stopped cutting any blooms off the Disneyland Roses in the sideyard.  I'm hoping that they'll handle the frost and Winter, despite the late-season growth.   Like the dahlias, they're POP'ING OFF right now.  Here, below are some photos showing the blooms (in various stages) of our Disneyland Roses (Floribunda Roses) on a few plants.  I last cut some of these about 10 days ago and put in a vase ( post here ).  Since then, I've left all the rose hips on the ends of the stems in an attempt to allow this plant to run its full growing cycle before the frost arrives. 

Yesterday, I posted a photo of four freshly prepared dahlia arrangements and talked about how I've begun to *exclusively* use jars and vases that fit neatly into a cup holder for ease of transportation.  But, if you were an eagle-eyed reader (and...who amongst us isn't?), you may have noticed that one of the jars in that same post isn't a mason jar or an upright vase.  And, it likely doesn't fit neatly into a car's cupholder.  Because it is a mug.  With a handle.  A glass mug.  A root beer mug.   Here, below are a couple of photos of this vintage glass Dad's Root Beer Mug that I picked up for less than a buck at Goodwill recently: A few things about this mug: First...it is very heavy.  The weight alone tells me that it is old.  They don't make glass mugs like this any longer. Second...it is from Dad's Root Beer.  This might not mean much to you, but it means the world to me.  Why?  Because it is *my Dad's* favorite root be...

Yes, the season is ending soon.  And, yes, we still have plenty of flowers.  There's some thinking around 'letting your dahlias go to seed' and stop 'deadheading' them weeks before your first frost.  That way, they can finish up their growing cycle and begin to wind down and put energy back into their tubers.  But, I'm thinking....that's for professional growers.  People who are in the business of selling tubers.  Me?  I'm (apparently) in the business of cutting dahlias and putting them in mason jars along with some other bits of foliage from around the garden.  Here, below, are four recent arrangements.  All the same.  It is, for me, getting a little monotonous.  But, that's not the case for the recipients.  These four went to four different places - some on our block, some as gifts and others to my Mom and Sister.    Speaking of gifts....some good news:  I was able to get back about a half-dozen jars.  I'v...

How do you win a growing contest?  Here's an Instagram Reel from Yuliya from ydoyougarden talking about how she won an Elephant Ear growing contest: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Y Garden - Yuliya (@ydoyougarden) What's her recipe?   1. Location. 5 hours of sunlight. 2. Added manure. Once per month. 3. Fed with liquid fertilizer every two week. 4. Used humic acid booster. To increase uptake. 5. A ton of water. 20 minutes 'slow drip'. Adding a bag of manure *every month* is wild (to me).  Food for thought as I think about dahlias next year.  And, thinking about the difference between the two Wizard of Oz dahlias , maybe a 'fall task' for the coming months.  

I planted a pair of Silver Swirl Snowflake Dusty Miller annuals in the newly-created pizza oven bed back in early June.  I had designs of using these for cut flower arrangements.  But, the rabbits had other plans.  Over the course of the Summer, the (dang!) rabbits gnawed at these and ground them down to stubs.  They never got off to any-sort-of-start and the foliage was chronically short. But, recently...something has happened and the rabbits seem to have moved-on and began to leave these alone.  Now, the strap-y foliage is about 4" tall and with a little bit of watering, I'm thinking I can eek some of this white material out before the end of the season.   I'd like to try these again next year, but they won't be in the ground.  I have a different plan for them.  

We have two Wizard of Oz Dahlia plants in the front yard.  One IB2DWs and the other in the back of the Island Bed in the middle of the front yard.  Despite the one IB2DWs starting off much stronger, it has peter'ed out with tiny blooms that are (mostly) white.  The Island Bed Wizard of Oz Dahlia, on the other hand, is LOADED with pink ball dahlia blooms.  That, the bees are loving.  If you look closely at the photo below, you'll see bees all over the center of these dahlia blooms: The quality of the soil is very different in these two spots:  the Island bed is rich and full of compost and biosolids.  The IB2DWs bed is always 'hard to grow', full of clay and shallow with just a few inches of soil before you get to gravel.  

Below are two photos of the same (recent) Dahlia arrangement featuring some large(r) Melina Fleur Decorative Dahlia blooms and some dark purple Ivanetti Ball Dahlia blooms.  In one photo, you can see the Melina Fleur blooms have taken on a salmon, pink color.  Spinning the (vintage, thrifed, blue-glass) Ball Jar around, you can spy the Ivanetti that have some white creating contrast on the petals.   The season is coming to an end, it seems.  But that also means the flowers are changing colors.  Gone are the yellows of earlier this year with Melina Fleur and here are rosy pinks.  Enjoy these while we can, because frost is a'coming.  Might be next week.  Might be the week after.  Either way...we can't stop it from arriving and killing off the dahlias for the season. 

Below is a photo showing one of the Zinnia blooms vs the ball dahlia Wizard of Oz (for comparison).  I think this might be a Zinnia Dreamland Coral from Northwind Perennial Farm, but I don't seem to have posted about it this year.  This Zinnia is tucked into the original IB2DWs bed and besides watering, I've mostly left it alone all season.   One of the things that I'm guilty of is cutting Zinnias 'too early'.  For these blooms, I opted to leave them on for longer (than I normally would) and this turned into a massive ball-shaped Zinnia bloom.

The blooms keep coming, but this time I'm back posting about the Disneyland Roses.  A few days back, I shared photos of all the blooms on the shrubs and then posted about the large growth some of the new ones experienced this year ( one of the Disneyland Roses is four-feet-tall and probably four-feet across ).  In the photo below, you can see some of the flowers that I 'farmed' (get it...flower farming??) and put in this weird, tall glass.  It has a pedestal and I wanted something long and skinny, so I fished this out of the cabinet and pressed it into service.   One of the big differences that I've begun to observe in cut flowers is how different flowers act differently once in the vase.  For the most part, Dahlias mostly stop changing, once they're cut and put in an arrangement.  But, these Disneyland Roses? They keep changing.  Opening up and becoming prettier every single day they are around.  Until...they start to drop their petals....

The Babe had to go to a dinner recently and we both thought it would be a nice to bring an arrangement to adorn the table.  As I've done in the past, I cut a big collection of just one flower:  The Pooh Collarette Dahlia.  I massed them together in a jar and didn't add anything else.  No greens, no accents.  Just the flowers.  And a lot of them:

Another day, another dahlia cut flower arrangement.  The usual suspects:  Melina Fleur, Wizard of Oz, Avanetti, Mystery Fox.  Along with some Autumn Fern fronds, Garden Ghost Artemesia and a Lucky Charm Anemone stem.  All tucked into a white Milk Glass vase.  This one was put together very quickly and sent out the door to Nat's good friend for her birthday.  

Yesterday, I posted a Google Gemini AI-created video short of some dahlia arrangements .  Today, above, you can see the full photo of all four arrangements.  All similar, but a little different.  In thrifted, Goodwill vases.  One is in a thrifted Bears glass.  These went to four different homes over the weekend.   In these are various ball, decorative and pompon dahlias:  Avanetti, Wizard of Oz, Melina Fleur and Mystery Fox.  Along with some Dusty Miller and Autumn Ferns. 

Four dahlia arrangements.  Put together in a quick morning recently.  The dahlia plants in our garden are really popping off right now. 

Yesterday, I posted some photos of our Disneyland Roses in bloom and mentioned that one of the Floribunda roses had gotten very big.  Below is a photo showing the largest one.  It is newly planted earlier this year.  And, the tallest sections are at least four-feet tall.  And the whole thing is wider than four-feet wide across the center.  I've had knee-high Disneyland Roses in the past and the product listing from Jackson and Perkins describes these as 3-feet-tall plants.  So, either they're happy and well-fed.  Or, there's something else going on like the root-stock pushing the plant taller.   This size poses a over-wintering challenge.  I can't do what I've done previously and top this with leaf litter.  It is too big.  This one may just have to survive winter on its own.

The newly planted (this season) Disneyland Roses are really popping off these days, too.  Blooms on top of blooms.  I was pretty good about feeding these monthly and treating them with multiple ways for pests and fungus:  systemic as well as topical spraying.  I also was deliberate in deadheading them and removing the rose nips.  The result are the largest, most productive Disneyland Roses I've ever grown.  They also have the longest stems of any Floribunda Rose that I've ever grown.   Below are a few shots showing the current state of these roses.  I'm going to stop deadheading them and hope that there won't be much new growth being put on in the final weeks before frost.

I let the various Zinnias that are in the vertical garden (Greenstalk) go for a bit longer than I likely should have in terms of cutting and ended up with dozens of them all at the same time.  The mass of stems is as thick as a Big Gulp from 7-11, so I ended up using a large, wide-base ceramic vase to hold them all and keep it from tipping over.  Besides bringing in some hydrangeas, I'd say that this is the largest arrangement of the 2025 growing season. 

The last time I did a 'firewood consumption' check-in was back in December 2024 (pre-Christmas) when I showed how much hardwood firewood was remaining in the racks that live along the side of our garage, on our side 'stoop' and the pair of racks in our screened porch.  At that time, I had a full screened porch, the rack on the side stoop was full and the two side-yard racks were about 90% full.   Since then, we burned the balance of the Winter and I started to use the firewood in the pizza oven this year.   Last year, I bought three facecords of firewood (Birch, Cherry, Oak) delivered.  Here's the video showing the drop from the guys at The Grove Mulch and Firewood .  I bought 'kiln-dried' the past few years and have found it to be nicely dried and (maybe more importantly?) also pretty 'clean'.   I just placed the order for this year that is set to arrive in the coming days.  Same three face cords.  So...how are we looking in terms...