Why I Oughta...

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...

The good folks at Forno Bravo sent out their monthly email newsletter this week and it included a look at customer's oven that they bill as being straight out of 'Fantasy land'.  And, I immediately glom'd-on to the images and video about the oven and have begun to pour over the details.  Here's a link to the newsletter (web link ) and below is a screenshot of one of the images in the newsletter that shows off the oven.  This is one of their off-the-shelf ovens that is wrapped in an enclosure.  That enclosure is faced with stone (veneer, I'm guessing) with a cedar (or cedar-inspired roof). This is not my photo.  Source via Forno Bravo's video .  Here below is  their YouTube video that accompanies the story about this oven that shows off even more details: A few things of note: 1.  The wood storage has a door.  Split in the middle and matching the roof trim.   Love that.   Here, below is a slightly better look at the oven w...

Recently, I have been thinking one of the signature moments in Chicago's history:  The World's Columbian Exposition. The Chicago's World's Fair in 1893.  Plenty has been written about it , but it continues to be a source of fascination for plenty of people - including myself.   There are tons of posts/videos/thoughts about the architecture and the permanent/not-permanent nature of the structures.  The structures were built to be temporary.  That's why they're not around any longer.  (Aside from MSI).  That's interesting of itself.  But, If you look around online, you can also go deep on various kinds of something else 'temporary' related to the fair:  ephemera .  Brochures, photos, badges , coins and more.  I've written about Disney Parks ephemera before, as it continues to fascinate me, too.  In hunting around, I also came across this page on Wikipedia that features the "Official Seal of the World's Columbian Exp...

Mid-December, this Flamed Amadeus Amaryllis was sending up its first stem and flower .  By early January, it was in bloom .  After the bloom faded, I cut the whole thing back to the bulb.  So far, there has been no strap-y foliage emerge from the bulb.  But, a second stem has shot up.  And is now about a foot-tall.  Below is a look at the Flamed Amadeus bud.  We'll get flowers in a week or so, I suspect: Of the two we grew this year, this Flamed Amadeus Amaryllis is about three-weeks ahead of the Shine Dream.  Looks-wise, I prefer the Shine Dream.  Dare I say it is my favorite Amaryllis I've ever grown ?  But, this Flamed Amadeus is MUCH SHORTER and compact.  That's pretty nice.  The Shine Dream is VERY tall - despite using a little alcohol in the water mix.  

The last full-view of the hedge of Frans Fontaine Columnar (European) Hornbeam trees was in late Spring 2025 when they were leaf'ing out and creating that narrow, green screen.  I posted some photos this past Summer showing how I was pruning back some of the tips over the boardwalk on the side of our house - with this being the first *real* pruning I've ever done to them in eight years.   Over the years, these trees have been true to their reputation when it comes to 'holding their leaves'.  They're decidous trees, but thanks to the magic of foliar marcescence, Frans Fontaine Hornbeams typically hold onto their brown, dessicated leaves much longer than most trees around here.    Here's a post from November 2024 showing how the leaves were hanging on in Late Fall , well after everything else had dropped its canopy.  Here's a whole category of posts talking about the phenomenon of [ foliar marcescence ].   And, over the years, I've seen thes...

Trees and winter interest series continues with a pair of Spring Grove dwarf Ginkgo trees that are planted on either side of our back stoop.  These were the first two (of now three) dwarf Ginkgo trees in our garden and were planted in May 2023 .  They've had three full growing seasons in their spot and were replacements for some Rhododendrons that never really performed in these spots.   Over the years, I've posted about their small, green, fan-shaped foliage , how I've fed them/supplemented them with lime  and municipal biosolids  and admired their golden fall leaf drop .   The two trees are different - one having a lower main trunk and multiple branches with the other having a more traditional apical meristem.  But, they've both grown.  Quite a bit.  Here's a bare-naked post from December 2024 (13 months ago) to compare size .  Below is what they look like right now: One of my (recently posted) "Great Garden Rules is #8:...

A few days ago, I wrote about a pair of small Canadian Hemlock trees in our backyard and mentioned that a place where I could add another one of the unique trees (Conifer that grows in shade), might be the stumpery.   I first wrote about stumpery gardens in the Fall of 2023 when I came across (now) King Charles Stumpery at High Grove .  Upon learning about the idea, I immediately ran back to my pile of wood pieces and grabbed a few stumps and hauled them up to a spot closer to the house.  With those three small stumps, I created my own stumpery .    That first growing season, I planted a few ferns around the stumps.  Last year, I added a few more.   I put some Shredded Umbrella plants in the garden bed adjacent to the Stumpery , but figure that I should add some of those to this bed this year.   In January 2024, I first documented the "winter interest" in the stumpery .  I seem to have not posted any winter/snow-covered photos from 202...

Another entry into the recent [Winter Interest] category of the garden diary shows off a feature in our backyard garden:  a handsome pair of Greenspire Linden Trees that are trained into a four-tier horizontal cordon espalier.  There are eleven (11) Green Velvet Boxwoods planted the base of the two trees .   The photo below shows the current state of the dormant Linden trees and the boxwoods showing-up against the white Winter snow.  This is a vignette in our garden that is close to our house and patio and one that we can take-in during the months where we rarely venture outside in the back. A few things to note: 1.  The Lindens need a haircut.  The top-growth on the uppermost tier of the espalier has gone ham.   2.  Last Spring (March 2025), I took a photo showing this same shot but covered in a thin layer of snow .  Not sure it ever looked better.   3.  The boxwoods have grown.  They were planted as tiny 1-gal...

One of the very best things I did in our garden this year was planting an Arctic Jade Korean Maple in our backyard .  It was/is our second Korean Maple with the first one being a Northern Glow Korean Maple that I planted out front in 2024 .  I posted photos of this small tree when the foliage was green .  And when the foliage was yellow .  And when the foliage was turning red .  Here, below, is a look at the tree when the foliage is, well...gone.  The tree is dormant and has dropped all of its leaves.  Last week, when I posted this peek at some of the Hakonechloa All Golds in the snow , you could see the side-profile of this Arctic Jade.   With it being 'naked' during the Winter, it gives me a chance to observe the structure.  Now....one of my "Great Garden Rules" is #8:  Don't prune anything for a while.  That means there's no touching this tree for a couple of seasons.  But, I can already see something that I'd prune of...

Yesterday, I s howed one of two small Canadian Hemlock trees in our backyard and talked about how one of them was being eaten-up by some (dang) rabbits this Winter .   Here, below, is a look at the other one of these conifer trees that was planted at the same time.  This one is MUCH-MORE full.  But, about the same height (five-ish feet tall).    Similarly tucked into the 'understory garden', this Canadian Hemlock is one of just two remaining of the six that we originally planted.  I mentioned yesterday that I need to include the Canadian Hemlock on my list of trees/shrubs/flowers that work in our garden and think about adding more.   I think the Stumpery is a prime location as well as the unplanted bed that sits in front of the fire pit garden.   Speaking of the stumpery ...I should revisit it this week to show the 'winter interest'.  

All the way back in Summer of 2019, I bought and planted a number of VERY SMALL Canadian Hemlock trees from an online nursery .   Three of them were planted along the north side fence line .  Today, two of those three are still standing .  Seven years ago, these trees weren't even a foot-tall in height.   Today?  This one is probably five-feet tall.  But, sparsely branched.  And, the caliper of the trunk is probably up to almost an inch.  Below is a look at this Canadian Hemlock tucked into the 'understory garden'.   Would I plant this tree back here, close to these other trunks - if I was to do it all over?  No.  Would I plant this small of a tree - if I was to do it all over?  No. But, here we are.  Seven years later and the tree is in this spot. The growth of the tree isn't really the point of this post in my garden diary.  I was out taking some kitchen scraps to the compost bin and took a number of ...

Planted back in the Fall of 2021 , we have a (still) small Mugo Pine in the backyard northside bed about 3/4's of the way back.  It is planted pretty close to the Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree that I posted about yesterday .  It was a #1 gallon conifer when it went in and cost just $5.00.   I posted about it one-year after planting as it was establishing itself (but not putting on any growth at that time).   Then, in Fall of 2022, I noted that the (dang!) rabbits were feasting on this small shrub .   By Fall of 2024 it had grown a little bit , but it still was small.   Today? Like the Harry Lauder Contorted Walking Stick Tree ...this one has been 'slow-growing'.  Here, below, is the Mugo Pine peeking up out of the snow: I included the idea of ' conifers should come first ' in my v1 draft of Jake's Great Garden Rules   and this Mugo Pine is an example of a conifer that I planted earlier than most.  Was it likely too ...

Planted in the Summer of 2020, this Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree sits in the back part of the garden in a tucked-away spot, but when you see it when it is bare and dormant, it provides A LOT of winter interest.   It is described as 'contorted' and that's certainly the case with this small tree that I spotted on my way back to the compost pile this weekend.  When I snapped this photo (below), I muttered to myself:  "this tree has hardly grown.  How long has it been here?" [Sidenote:  I wrote about Contorted Trees at Disneyland Paris here that's worth checking out .  That was the inspiration for buying and planting this tree in our garden.] The answer to the second part is:  This year will mark its seventh (7th) growing season ('20, '21, '22, '23, '24, '25, '26).  That's far longer than I thought.   As for the second part;  has it grown?  Let's look.  Here, below, is what it looks like currently: Looking back at th...

Our Chicago Bears might be out of it, but with Illini great - and current All-Pro Devon Witherspoon holding down one of the corners for the Seattle Seahawks, we have something (and someone) to cheer for in our house on Sunday:  Our guy, @lilspoon .  Never thought we'd have a Seahawks jersey in our house.  But, here we are: Go peek at his Instagram handle .  What's the first thing you notice?  I'll tell what I see: A proud University of Illinois Alumni.  Hard NOT TO LOVE THIS GUY.

This week was significant for the Macho Monument Movement here in Downers Grove.  A group of concerned residents showed up the Village Council meeting to discuss the proposed " Public Art Program " and the placement of public art in the first three of what the Village is calling their 'Flexible Amenity Spaces' that are being created in Downtown Downers Grove as part of their recently ratified Guiding DG Streetscapes Comprehensive plan .   Up for discussion this past Tuesday was the idea of proceeding with the Public Art Program under a two-phase approach.  The first phase was tentatively suggested to include the purchase of what the Village Staff called  (page 3) "existing artworks for flexible amenity areas that will be constructed in 2026".   After discussion between the Commissioners, the Mayor, Village Staff and residents - including my high school friend, neighbor and founder of the Macho Monument Movement Kevin Larke - the Village Commissioners ...

While the (dang) rabbits were able to get to *some* of my Japanese Forest Grasses (when they were green), on-balance most of them are showing off a little bit of their 'winter interest'.  Are these the largest masses of grasses?  No.  But, they're SOMETHING - in terms of sizes.  I transplanted these over in 2024, so they have had two growing seasons on this border .  Here's a post showing them re-emerging for year two in April 2025 .   Here's the grasses right now, under a light blanket of snow: Here's hoping that they'll FILL OUT and get 'fat and sassy' in 2026.  

Watch out Maude Flanders .  The Illini have a giant t-shirt cannon they roll out onto the court during some timeouts to launch t-shirts up into the seats at the Assembly Hall State Farm Center down in Champaign.  To be honest...I was disappointed by the distance they were getting.  They might want to amp-up the gas pressure and get those shirts way up into the 200 section.  

This Christmas, my brother-in-law gifted me a new snow shovel:  The Snow Plow 24" pusher shovel.  I'm not sure where he got it from, but guessing either Amazon or Ace Hardware.  And, I'll tell you:  it is a great shovel.  And, it is American made .  A big consideration for me (when it comes to snow shovels) is the size.  I don't want something so big and heavy that I can't deal with it when it is loaded down with heavy, wet snow.  There's an idea that you should upgrade your everyday items when you replace them.  And then, when you find something that works well for you, you stick with it.  This snow shovel feels like an upgrade. With just a few snowfalls in, I'm already in love with this pusher shovel.  It does a great job, has a clean edge and is easy-to-handle.  It is also lightweight.  The website talks about how the blade is made from UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene ) - which sounds like a remarkab...

One of my ' early early' potential projects was to add a garden arch to the backyard.  That's because I was gifted a garden arch for Christmas.  It is still in the box, so I'm not totally sure what it looks like, but believe it to be a square one (non-arch) and it is made of wood.  Where could it go?  The first spot is obviously the fire pit entrance.  To help frame/create that as the 'entrance' to the fire pit .  Like this: But, I could also put it closer to the house.  Either off the boardwalk.  Or, as part of a 'hide-and-reveal' entrance off the patio?  If I did that....what would we do back by the firepit?   The answer is, of course easy:  Revisit the idea of building a moongate back there .   I suppose the installation of the arch certainly isn't permanent.  So, if I end up starting with it back there, it doesn't mean we can't build the moongate, right? 

Mid-January means it is about ten weeks since I brought home the two large Amaryllis bulbs from Wannemaker's Christmas Open House and planted them in some pots .  Like I've done every year, after planting them up, I put them in a spot with good sun exposure (full view of the sky) along with some heat (a stone table that sits on top of a heat vent from our furnace).   The first of the two bulbs - Flamed Amadeus - bloomed a couple of weeks ago - and has since had those first flower blooms die back .  The second stem with a bud is coming up out of the bulb right now.  The second Amaryllis was named Shine Dream.  Here's the post when I brought it home .  By early December, this Shine Dream was showing some 'action' .  That means (to me) ...a tip was emerging from the bulb.  It was a slow two weeks until that same bud grew up and out of the bulb a tiny bit .   Today, it looks like this: Shine Dream is tall.  Much taller than the Fla...