Why I Oughta...

Over the past couple of seasons, I've learned to 'know' (and plant) a pair of Korean Maple trees in our garden.  A Northern Glow in the Island Bed up front and an Arctic Jade in the backyard .  We also have a couple of Emperor 1 trees in the backyard (but...I'm pretty sure I lost the largest one this Winter.  It was ravaged by the Cicadas of 2024 and didn't seem to recover in 2025).   My success with the two Korean Maples has lead me to think about adding another one - and I wrote a 'getting to know' post about The Northwind Korean Maple from Iseli Nursery that is part of their Jack Frost Collection of cold-hardy trees.   But, as I was poking around in my Google Photos recently, I came across a cluster of photos of a different ornamental tree that I took at The Growing Place last year - on the same visit where I bought the Arctic Jade.  Those photos were for this Fernleaf Fullmoon Maple.  Acer japonicum 'Acontifolium'. This is - as the name...

In December, I p ut together my first (ever) evergreen wreath for our front door using a mix of evergreen boughs, magnolia leaves, boxwood and eucalyptus from Trader Joe's. I used an existing grapevine wreath and followed some videos I found that talked about creating 'piles' of material and then wrapping them around the frame with floral wire.  I liked the project and plan on doing it again later this year.   But, I also wanted to document how the wreath held-up during the season.  Below is a photo showing it still on our front door - three months after being installed.  I'd say it looks pretty good.   Next year, I'll be sure to collect/forage for some varied evergreens specifically for the wreath.  

A couple of days ago, I posted the details of the eight-pack of dahlia tubers that I picked up at Costco on a recent visit.  The tubers are from a source that I've purchased many tubers/bulbs from: Longfield Gardens.  And, this eight-pack featured four tubers of two different varieties.  I already posted about the four Rip City dahlias (they're informal decorative dahlias).  Today, I'm posting about the other four:  Saint Martin dahlias.   I mentioned that these were both new (to me) varieties, but I was drawn to their heights.  My preference is towards shorter varieties that don't have the same staking/support requirements of many other dahlias.  Below is a photo of the back of the package showing the Saint Martin stats.  Note the spacing (20") and height (30").   And, here below is the front of the package showing the Saint Martin having slightly smaller blooms that are two-toned in white and pink.   Besides the he...

See that bright patch in the photo below?  That's a patch of 'protected' Angelina Sedum that is in the same section of groundcover that I posted about yesterday .  I'm not sure where I picked up the tip, but I take some of our patio containers and tip them on their sides during winter.  In an attempt to keep them from cracking.  The container you can see peeking in the photo on the right side on the stair?  That's the one that I tipped into this bed all Winter.  That means that this bright green patch of groundcover was protected from the Winter temperatures (and snow and ice) all Winter.  Which kept the Summer-color of the Sedum all season long.    If you look at the front edge of this sedum, you'll see similar signs of rabbit damage like what I was seeing in the sedum up front last week . 

The sedum that is planted on either side of our back stoop takes on some oranges and browns during the winter months.  Here's a peek at it below.  Along with some Winter leaf litter.    This Sedum was a volunteer from one of our patio pots and I've transplanted pieces of it (now) on both sides of the stoop.  Here's a look at those beds cleaned up in April of 2025 .   I had some chipmunk problems in these beds over the years, but this Sedum covered up most of the access holes/entrances, so I've failed to solve it permanently.  

This weekend, we popped into Costco and to my surprise (delight?), they had their Longfield Gardens Spring bulbs (tubers) up front in the metal racks.  Amongst the peonies and ranunculus were a number of packages of Dahlia tubers.  I've posted about the tubers that I've already bought. Here's my Bonny Blooms order , which has seven total tubers.  Pairs of Crichton Honey, Peaches-n-cream and Brown Sugar and a single Bell's Palermo.  All of these are 'new to me'.  And, here is my second order from Longfield Gardens that has five more (new to me) varieties .  So, that's nine new varieties that I have to find homes for in the beds.  Seven + ten = 17 containers to pot-up in addition to what I stored over Winter in Saran Wrap. But, that didn't stop me from looking over the rack at Costco.  And, based on a couple of things, I ended up picking up this eight-pack of Tubers.  I'll post about each of the two varieties in separate posts. Here's the front...

I spent a little bit of time cleaning out a light fixture on our front porch only to discover this (sad) find;  a tiny bird skull.  Apparently, the guy flew into the fixture and either couldn't find his way out or decided this was his final resting place.  I never really thought about how a bird's beak is connected to their skull, but I found this interesting:

Bought during the early days of COVID in 2020 , this Big Box store tree has grown up and out over the years.  This tree sits in the far reaches of the backyard and is growing in front of the (never-quite-done-well) Lilacs.  The bend in the trunk is where (I think) the initial leader died back and a new one emerged.  Guessing that's when the nursery decided to pull this and stick it in a small container to sell at the Big Box store.   The upright nature of the tree (right now) may be due to the environment (growing inside of a pair of other trees) or it could be how these grow.  But, that part isn't what is most interesting to me.  My eye is drawn to the exfoliating bark on the lower part of the trunk.  I posted a photo of this trunk last Spring .  I'll get back out there this year to take some close-ups.  I first wrote about these trees on a trip to Paris in Luxembourg Gardens .  And wanted one after that visit.   To the r...

Planted all the way back in Fall of 2020 , we have a small Pagoda Dogwood (native) tree planted in the far back of the yard.  Sort-of in-between the Yew Hedge (in development), the lawn and the fire pit gravel area.  When I bought it, the tree was maybe 15" tall and had an all-green trunk .  Literally...all green.  Not even a pencil in caliper.   As I've learned to do (the hard way...by killing trees), I left this thing alone for the first few years.  I selectively pruned it the first time in its 3rd season ( June 2023 ) when I just 'shortened' the lower limbs, but left them still attached to the trunk.  Trying to get the tree to grow up and rally around its central leader.   The next year ( Summer 2024 ), I did the same thing, but went up a level.    Rinse and repeat in 2025 , too.   That's lead to an established tree with a central leader.  That now stands taller than me.   Below is a look at the fram...

One of the highlights of my gardening calendar is the annual Morton Arboretum Arbor Day Plant Sale that takes place at the end of every April.   I've attended each year for a number of years since 2020 and am planning on trying to get tickets again this Spring.  Last year, I posted this "Plant Sale Highlights" post that featured a number of plants/shrubs/trees that I didn't buy, but caught my eye .  As I begin to think about the 2026 gardening season, I came across that post and wanted to revisit a few of the plants that I saw and do a bit of an exploration as to whether they could fit this year.   The first one is Soft Serve Gold Chamaecyparis False Cypress.  The sign from the sale is below showing a $24.99 cost per evergreen shrub.   Proven Winners has this product page up with a description: Soft Serve® false cypress has long been one of our most popular evergreens, thanks to its neat, appealing shape and deer resistance - and now, i...

It may be February on the calendar, but it is still Amaryllis season in our kitchen.  The Flamed Amadeus Amaryllis is back in bloom in late February with two big blooms standing tall and proud.  You can see it below.  The last time I posted was in early February when the second stem was emerging from the bulb. It bloomed in early January after being planted in early November.   This is a nice treat for late February, but it makes me think about Christmas bloom-time.  I've often bought these with the idea of "Christmas Flowers", but increasingly these past years, they're mostly blooming *AFTER* Christmas each year.  That means...the dark reds are probably not worth focusing-on.  Instead...picking things like the Shine Dream that add a tropical feeling to the blooms is a better path.

I ran a test bar pie in the June Oven over the weekend.  I greased the BOTTOM of the pan (something I've begun to do) and the results were great.  500 degrees for 9 minutes.  A crispy, blistery-y bottom.  See below for a peek at the undercarriage of this 12" pan-baked bar pizza (aka Roller Rink pizza).   The 12" pan fit perfectly in the June Oven.  So, that's great news.   The one issue with greasing the bottom is that it leads to shrinkage.  I've been using a bead of Crisco around the bottom of the pan walls as a sort-of 'paste' to keep the dough pinned against the edges.  When I don't grease the bottom, the pizza doesn't shrink at all.  But, when I grease the bottom, the whole thing comes free from the walls and shrinks down a bit in all directions.  

Yesterday, I posted a photo showing some of the whips from one of our hydrangeas that I clipped-off and tossed on top of my compost bins.  I mentioned it was far too early to begin Spring clean-up in the yard, but I went ahead with the hydrangea cutting anyway.  It didn't take but a day for me to get back there and chop up the hydrangea stems into little segments (and the pannicle heads lop'd off) so they can begin the decomposition process.   Below is a photo showing the late-winter status of the three-bin compost setup.  The hydrangeas are now (mostly) in the left (storage) bin with some stems hanging around on the top of the middle (mixing) bin.   I last looked at these bins in early January and there's been VERY.LITTLE decomposition going on with the cold temperatures.  

Its too early.  Its too early.  Its too early.  For 'Spring cleanup'.  I know that.  You know that.  Everyone knows that.  Doesn't mean that the recent run of warmer weather didn't give me the itch to get out and do something.  I started by pruning a couple of trees.  Then, I started to get bothered by the dried out mopheads of the Vanilla Strawberry Panicle Hydrangea that is on the corner of our garage.  It needed to be cleaned up.   Here, below, is the result.  Tons of long whips with dried flower heads.  Currently stashed on the top of the middle compost bin.  Why there?  Because, I need to clip them down to little pieces and toss them into the left bin so they'll decompose a little bit better/faster/easier. Will this be the only thing I do before it is 'due'?  Not likely.  

Last year, I planted a pair of Pink Beauty Viburnum shrubs in the backyard.  One on each side of the garden, in the rear of the beds, pretty close to the fence line.  The first one went in on the northside behind the Dawn Redwood .  The second one went in on the southside closer to the wine barrel water feature.   They seemed to do fine in their first year and even showed some berries come late Summer .  This being their first Winter, I'm observing how it is overwintering for the first time.  And, I've come to realize that I 'missed' on protecting these from rabbits this Winter.  I forgot the lesson I learned with my Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum their first season:  These need rabbit cages until they get to a certain height and size that rabbits (dang rabbits!) can't affect them too much.   These didn't have cages, and in the photo below, you can see the rabbit pressure: gnawed-off lower limbs.  The good news, it appears...

Yesterday, I posted a photo of some tulip foliage that has begun to peek thru the mulch layer in the IB2DWs bed (down by the sidewalk) and talked about how tulips are (despite the dwindling numbers) are a happy sign of Spring in our garden.  Today, posting a photo showing another sign of the coming Spring.  This also features some red-tinted color, but is not another tulip.   Back in Fall of 2023, I planted a few Sedum kamtschaticum 'Variegatum' around the garden including two small pint-sized containers down by the sidewalk IB2Dws.  I've long described the section of our garden closest to the sidewalk as "hard to grow" because of the poor soil conditions (lots of gravel from the driveway, as well as dry conditions with even more gravel due to one of the drywells dug out there).  And, I planted a few things that never took down there.  Until, I moved on to trying sedums.   They came back in their first Spring and I was pleasantly surprised...

If you look hard enough around parts of our garden, you'll see some strong signs of Spring.  Including these purple tulip foliage tips that have popped up from the mulch down by the sidewalk IB2DWs.  I've posted about the various tulip bulb tips emerging in late Winter/early Spring over the years including in early February 2025 (last year) .  In 2024, they were up in early January (it was a mild Winter).   I haven't planted tulip bulbs in years, so the numbers continue to dwindle, but I still like seeing these pop up as a reminder of what is to come in the garden.  

With the weather warming up this past weekend, I was able to get out and do a tiny bit of dormant pruning around the garden.  I started with one of the two Greenspire Lindens that are planted near the house, along the south fence line.  They're currently trained into a four-tier horizontal cordon espalier and each season they show A TON of top growth that needs to be pruned back in late Winter.   Over the years, I've learned (just a little bit) about the best way to handle some of this task and I've modified how I've approached the task.  Some years, I take more off the limbs, some years less.  I seem to have settled on leaving limbs with two buds and cutting back the rest.   I posted some thoughts on these trees just two weeks ago and showed the current state of them with all their 2025 top-growth .  In that post, I talked about how I pruned them back in March 2025 and said that I wanted to get them done earlier.  Good news, Jake. ...

We have three Emperor 1 Japanese Maples in our backyard.  Acer palmatum Emperor 1.  The largest one is back by the firepit with a couple of smaller ones closer to the house.  They all were her during the Cicada swarm of 2024 and all suffered some damage from them.  The largest tree (by the firepit) suffered the most and has been set-back pretty sizeably.   The 3rd-to-be-planted is also the smallest one.  It is about half-way back on the north side.  It went in the ground in 2024 (Cicada year) and I protected it with some fabric .  That didn't completely protect the tree from the slits from cicadas and the top-part died-back.     But, that white tulle wasn't the only protection that I set up for this small Japanese Maple.  I also have left-up a ring of Chicken Wire around the tree, in an attempt to keep the (dang!) rabbits away from killing this tree in Winter.  That has...somewhat worked.  But, it hasn't stopped ...

Here is a look at a pair of SugarTyme Crabapple flowering trees that are (now, seemingly established) in their spot on the southside wall of our house.   These were first planted in Fall of 2021 , they've (now) had four full growing seasons in the ground ('22, '23, '24, '25) and all but ONE of the eight limbs in the four-tier pair has extended out.  The missing limb is on the tree on the left, the lower right branch.    I last  posted a photo of these trees when they were loaded full of foliage in late October 2025 .  At that time, it was showing the curls on the tips of the limbs. Curling downward.  I wrote this: 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. Winter pruning and support....

Yesterday, I posted photos of the Oregon Green Austrian Pine tree in our front yard .  That is one of two conifers that have been planted in the past few seasons as small trees up in front.  The other one is a Skylands Spruce tree - Picea orientalis 'Skylands'.  This was planted in Fall of 2024 in the front yard 'island bed' and looking at the photos, it came right behind the small (dwarf) Spring Grove Ginkgo and the Northern Glow Korean Maple that were already in place up there.   Interesting to note that both this Skylands Spruce and the Oregon Green Pine went in the ground the same week in October 2024 .  (Good week in the garden, huh?) This tree, too, has put on some growth, but not a massive amount during its first full growing season of 2025.   The Skylands Spruce is noted for the color of its needles - bright lime/yellow-green new growth that hangs around most of the year.   And, that includes Winter.   Here, below, ...

Yesterday, I posted an update on the small caliper Black Tupelo native tree that is planted in our parkway and talked about the small, pointy buds that the tree had set on the tips of the lower limbs.   I talked about how I've been 'turned on' to the beauty of tree buds in Winter over the years.  But, it isn't just the action that is taking place on the deciduous trees in our yard that is worth noting.  Last week, I showed some photos of one of the Weeping Norway Spruce trees planted IB2DWs and talked about the brown 'buds' that were set on the tips of that conifer tree.   Another conifer tree in our front yard is an Oregon Green Austrian Pine.  I planted it back in the Fall of 2024 and it, too, was a tiny tree.  The Oregon Green pine is known to grow into an open-branching habit in form, but also comes with heavy 'candling' - or the emergence of white candles on the tips.  In May of 2025, the first Spring for this tree, I posted some phot...

Back last Spring, I planted a very small caliper Blackgum (or Black Tupelo) tree in our parkway in a spot that I had previously planted a London Planetree (Exclamation) that didn't make it.  This native tree was on my 'get to know list' for a while because it isn't *that* common to see, it puts on a great 'fall show' and is shaped right for a parkway tree.  We have a large, mature Norway Maple in our parkway that has begun to decline and will inevitably either suffer some weather damage and crack or die due to root damage/impact from construction.  My plan has been to plant a small caliper tree in the parkway - sort-of *next to* the existing Norway Maple and let it grow up in the canopy of the larger tree. After time, the smaller tree will have a chance to show-off when the larger tree goes away. The problem with the first tree in this spot (London Planetree) was that I didn't do a good-enough job paying attention to it with water.  These small trees need t...

There has been a ton of positive momentum on the Macho Man Randy Savage Monument front in the past few weeks.  I posted a video update back in late January when the movement went in front of the Village of Downers Grove Council to discuss their public art program and how our Macho Man statue would be a perfect fit together.   For those just catching up, I'm part of a group of neighborhood guys who are advocating that the Village of Downers Grove put up a statue to Randy Poffo , Downers Grove North High School Class of 1971 and a global icon & humanitarian who proudly called our Downers Grove community home.  Here's a look at Randy Poffo's DGN Athletics Hall of Fame plaque: As for the progress, the Macho Monument Movement was back in front of the Village of Downers Grove Village Council to talk (even more) about their public art program this past week.  At that meeting, our leader presented to the Council an outline of our approach and introduced the sculpto...

I have a couple of small juniper groundcover plants in the backyard.  They were planted years ago as 'bonsai nursery stock' that I transitioned to just going into the ground in the same spots they were stored.  I'm pretty sure this is a Youngstown Juniper that went in back in 2019 .  It has since grown up and out, but this year appears to have suffered a bit of dieback.  I didn't see this earlier, so am guessing it might be winter-weather related.   The photo below shows the front third of the juniper has gone brown and appears to be dead: Before Spring comes, I'll get out there and prune off the dead limbs and hopefully stimulate a little bit more growth to fill in the (now) bare spots in this groundcover. 

The large Northern Red Oak tree in our backyard (tree swing tree) has mostly dropped its leaves this Winter, but there is a small bit of foliar marcescence going on closer to the trunk on the lower, newer limbs.  Below is a look at the canopy of this mighty oak where you can see the brown, dried leaves only on the central, lower section of the tree this Winter: Over the years, this tree has dropped its leaves at different times, but this year was an 'early' year.  But, that was (I think) driven by an early Snow, so there's tons of these hard-to-break-down oak leaves scattered around our backyard that are still buried under the snow.  They'll wait for Spring clean-up and mulching by my mower.  

Over the years I've documented the price of Chellino Scamorza Cheese - which...you know by now...is the best low-moisture pizza cheese.  The last time I posted a price was at the end of 2022 and the price was out-of-control with a ball going for $12.53 from Pete's .  A year earlier, December of 2021 the price at Angelo Caputo's was at $6.99 .  Which means it almost doubled in 2022.  WOWOWOW.  Here it was for $7.99 in November 2021 .  It had been hanging around the $5.99 to $7.99 price range for as long as I've been buying it.  So that $12.53 jump at Pete's was a big increase.  #CheeseInflation. This weekend I found myself at Tony's Fresh Market in Countryside where they were selling Chellino Scamorza Cheese for $10.07.  $8.99 per pound.  $2.99 per pound drop from the peak of 2022.   Here's the list (and links) of the price tracking of this Chellino Scamorza Cheese over the years: February 2026:  $10.07 December 2022:...

Planted in the Fall of 2023, a pair of (still) small Weeping Norway Spruce trees are standing in the long, narrow (and hard-to-grow) IB2DWs bed that runs between our driveway and our neighbor to the north.  They were the first successful conifers that I have grown from small trees and I attribute that Fall Planting to their success.   They've had two full growing seasons (2024 and 2025) and over those two years, they've both put on some new growth at the top (growing taller) and the limbs have gone a little bit longer (and weeping, curving or 'pendulat'ing').     The first Spring, they put out this tiny red/pink cones .  A nice treat.  And, they've also taught me something about how conifers grow.  Like decidious trees, they 'set buds'.  But, the buds are different.  They're these little brown clusters that appear at the tips of the existing limbs and branches.  They're signs of where the upcoming season's growth is going to c...