Why I Oughta...

Yesterday I posted my annual to-do list of 25 items I'm aiming to tackle this growing season .  I'm starting off with an early win by taking-on Priority item #2 on the list one-day-in.  I've talked about how I've adopted what I call the 'lazy bed extension method' of using three factors:  1.  Cardboard to smother the existing turf grass. 2.  A mix of (municipal) biosolids, leaf litter and composted manure + topsoil. 3.  Time. That 3rd factor (time) is why I'm going at this garden upgrade in March.   Here's what I wrote for #2: 2. Priority Project 2:  Expand and fix the edges of the front yard island bed .  But, use a ‘fewer curves’ approach to making a curvilinear shape . Last year, I planted Coleus (which was great) and Supertunias (which weren’t), so strike the right balance between colorful annuals (maybe mirror what I put in the front porch bed) along with some coleus for foliage. I also included further down the list at #12 a "Fall ...

'Tis the season for setting my goals for the yard and garden this year.  As I've done for the past few years, I've put together my annual "To Do List" as a way of keeping myself on track.  Thanks to this here garden diary and posts like this one ( early, early look post ) and this one ( last year's final tally ) and this [ 2026 to-do ] tag help make putting together this list much easier.   Like anything in life, in order to be successful in the garden (or...I should say...in order for ME to be successful...), I need a goal.  A target.  Otherwise, I'll be aimless.  Will I get some things done?  Yes.  But, are they the most impactful, most critical, most enjoyable parts?  Maybe?  But, when I sit down and think about what I want to accomplish both short term (this season) and as part of a longer-term approach, I find that I can reference this list as the season goes on to ensure that I'm spending my time and resources effectively....

I've recently posted about a number of [priority projects] for 2026 and (at the same time), I've been drafting my full 2026 to-do list.  That's typically 25 items that help keep me focused in the yard and garden.  One of the items near the top of that list is going to be:  finish up the pizza oven enclosure. Last week, I burned the first small fire in the oven for the season and talked about getting motivated to finish it.  A big part of that finishing is applying the exterior brick.  However, I need the temperatures to improve and stabilize before I can get busy.  Here's what the specifications sheet reads in terms of application temperatures: 50 degrees for 72 hours after application of the mortar.  According to *some* models , we should be hitting that 50-degree average right around early April.   Last Fall, I applied just a handful of bricks to the rear part of the structure - figuring I'd LEARN how to apply the bricks on the part of th...

We're moving on to my #3 Priority project for 2026.   First one was to stop fighting nature (nature finds a way) with Oakleaf Hydrangeas . Second was to re-cut the edges of the front yard island bed .   Today, I'm posting the details of #3:  finishing a project that I started two years ago:  A Garden edit.   I wrote about this earlier this year and talked about how I relocated a colony of All Gold Hakonechloa Japanese Forest Grasses from around the tree swing tree and moved them to the other side of the yard.  I moved them right before I began excavation for the backyard pizza oven.  Now that the oven foundation is built out, I had the bed extended around it last year, creating a long empty border.   My plan has been to fill that border with a series of Hakonechloa Macra (straight variety) grasses .  Both from the Oak tree 'backwards' and 'forward'.   Here below is the area that needs to be populated: And here, b...

I noticed some green peeking through the mulch up front, along the driveway in the Island Bed.  It seemed out of place and I immediately thought it might be a weed of some sort.  I've started to notice the Wild Onions starting to fire up  in the backyard and worried that somehow they had migrated up into the Island bed.   Then...I looked closer.  I saw this:  And, I saw a few more scattered around the same area: And, then I saw all five of them scattered along the driveway.  Two rows of two with one in front: And, I realized that these aren't weeds.  But, they're not wild onions.  But, they *are* onions. Last Summer, I planted five Medusa Alliums up there after buying them from Northwind Perennial Farm up in Wisconsin.   These didn't do exceptionally well last year and faded pretty early.  But, as a gardener, I'm learning that sometimes that happens in year one - when you plant a new perennial.  They don't thrive in ...

It wouldn't be mid/late March without an unexpected snowfall in the garden around here.  One of the best ways to see the structure of the pair of Greenspire Linden trees that have been trained into an espalier is when a light snow falls on the limbs.  Below is a look at the tree and the branches that now stretch out and touch each other in the middle. Compare this shot above to this post almost a year ago .   I pruned back the tips on the trees MUCH harder this year it seems. Here is a post from January of 2022 - four years ago - that REALLY shows how much these trees have grown in that time.  The trunks, in particular, have thicken'ed up as has the top branch.  The lower limbs have grown out, but are still the thin(est) of the group. The Boxwoods also continue to grow in size, despite being in deep shade.  

A mix of Drumstick and Christophii allium foliage has appeared in some spots around the garden.  Note to self:  get back to planting Fall bulbs this year.  Something I haven't done in a few years.  The thinner, whisp-ier foliage are from Drumstick Allium that seem to grow each year.  Especially IB2DWs.  I've written about how I like they way they look in the garden, so I should remind myself of this post when I fill up my Fall bulb cart later this year.  

Last year, I planted my second Climbing Hydrangea in the backyard.  The f irst one didn't make it (was planted back by the firepit), but I liked the idea of the flowering vine, so I tried again.  I bought it at the Morton Arboretum plant sale and planted it in front of a clump of River Birch that was in declining (pretty sure it has died).   Because this one is planted in what I'll call a "watering zone", it has a higher-chance of succeeding because I'll pay more attention to it naturally.   But, that doesn't mean the (dang) rabbits aren't going to destroy this climbing vine.  However...it appears that we have a tiny sign of Spring emerging from the crown of this plant.  See below for a peek at the tiny-ist green vine emerging from the soil: Another day, another sign of Spring.  I need to GET GOING on my to-do list.  Eeek.

The pizza oven bed that I created last year is full of heavy, hard-to-drain clay soil.  While, it may not be a perfect solve, I still laid down a patch of firewood ash (hardwoods only) on top of the mulch after I cleaned up the screened door fireplace for the season.   I've done this in the past like here in January 2024 and typically spread the ash around to different spots in our garden or just dump the bucket into the compost bin in the far back of the yard.   Here, below, is the ash on the pizza oven bed: I need to lay down some organic material on this bed in the next few weeks ahead of planting dahlias here to give them a better shot at success.   The other thing I've done that involves ash is doing some small in-place burns with my mini torch.  I'll get out there and do some of these around the beds, too.  

Last week, I posted my first [Priority Project] for 2026 that focused on replacing the Oakleaf Hydrangeas that are being destroyed each year by the (dang) rabbits.  These [Priority Posts] help me begin to formulate my annual yard-and-garden to-do list.  I've found (over the years) that I NEED to prioritize some key projects and keep a running list of goals so I have focus and accountability.  Otherwise...I tend to wander and get distracted. Today is a look at Priority Project #2: Expand and fix the edges of the front yard island bed.   Starting earlier this year, I posted an exploration of how I could expand the front yard island bed and then , after thinking (or... because of WRITING ABOUT IT ), I changed my mind and reconsidered some aspects including the orientation and number of curves .  I initially was thinking about attacking the project by GROWING the bed from the sidewalk-backwards towards the house.  I say 'attack' because I know myself and...

Earlier this week, I posted some photos and research on the dahlia tubers that are being sold at the big box hardware store near me .  I listed some of the stars (to me) and talked about what was appealing to me.  There was one more that I didn't talk about, but I ended up bringing home.  Actually...two more because this is a package of seven tubers in what they call the "Cherry Pie Blend".  They have the same listing over at TulipWorld that you can see here .  Below is the front of the package that shows a photo of the two different varieties, but....doesn't LIST THEM by name: The package, does however, provide some good information.  First...the hieght.  Says...40".  That's right in my target height range.   And the photo shows two different varieties.  One with light centers and dark undertones.  And the other with dark centers.  Very complimentary of each other, so I can see why they put these together in this 'blend'....

Spring clean-up is upon us in the garden.  And, it appears that I'm a bit later than last year in doing some of the early spots like the Hellebores.  Below is a close-up shot of what some of our Hellebores look like right now after removing some of the leaf litter that protected their crowns over Winter.  A really nice peek at the flower buds and new foliage that signals Springtime is here. Here, below, is a wider shot showing four colonies of Hellebores.  Three across the front with one tucked in by the picnic table (green) legs.   Here, below, is how they started with their previous season's foliage that needed clipping-off and the leaf litter pulled back.  This photo shows how much I 'left' the leaves.  (We had a super early Snow that hit and I pretty much stopped Fall clean-up earlier than I normally do last Fall, resulting in more leaf litter than I normally leave behind.) ' Here's a look at the area after cleaning up most of the dead foliage...

At the hardware store this past weekend, I came across their racks of Spring flowering bulbs that had the usual assortment of lilies, gladiolas, peonies and....the star(s) of the show:  dahlia tubers.  A huge number of them are Dinnerplate varieties, which I'm (for now) staying away from in favor of the smaller types like ball, decorative, pompon and even collarettes.   But, that doesn't mean the tuber selection isn't worth a once-over.  And, even a little bit of guided education on what they have and don't have for sale this season.   Here, below are a couple of photos showing a portion of their Spring bulbs - with a focus mostly on the non-dinnerplate dahlias.  (although...a few Dinnerplates snuck in here).   I'm still a beginner when it comes to growing dahlias, so everyone of these is new (to me).  I thought it might be a good learning experience to research a few of these to see what I can learn.  After searching for detai...

This past weekend, I set the first fire of 2026 in the backyard pizza oven.  A small fire, just to get the dome warmed up a tiny bit.  I have a couple of cracks already in the dome, but I'm not looking for more, so I'm going to try to heat the dome up a few times over the next few weeks before firing it up for a big bake on a Friday night.  It was good to see the smoke circle the dome and then escape out the front chimney vent.  Just like it is supposed to do in this design.  I am *pretty* confident that the enclosure is water-tight, so I don't need to re-cure this firebrick, but I'm going to go a bit slower to start this season just to make sure.   Also, hoping to motivate myself to get going on the exterior of the dome. Have to finish the veneer and the trim work around the roof.  Oh...and the roof.  There's a lot of work to get done this Spring.

Dahlia season is coming fast.  Or, at least it is feeling like it is coming fast to this gardener.  The past two seasons, I've started my tubers indoors, well ahead of the last frost date (around Mid-May here).  In 2024, I started them in early May.  There were only six tubers  to start.  How quaint.  Looks like I ended up with twelve total .  I planted them outdoors in June 2024 .   Last year, in 2025, I also planted them up starting indoors.  In early May .  By mid-May they were showing signs of growth .  I began to harden-the-off towards the end of May and (like 2024), planted them outside in the beginning of June .  Last year, I also pinched them all back to try to get bush-ier growth.   My plan for 2026 is to follow a similar trajectory, but I'm thinking I can start them even earlier.  Like mid-April.  The last frost date varies around here , but generally is between the middle and end of May....

It may not be super easy to tell in this photo below, but our Dawn Redwood tree has continued to grow.  And it is taking on a nice upright-ish form.  But, the apical meristem - the leader - is wandering.  It isn't straight up in the air, but rather...leaning back.  My thought here is that a potential 2026 project might be to try to pull the leader back into a more-upright position.  A rope, plus some sort of trunk/bark protection (like a piece of garden hose) pulled tight to a stake to help train it back to be more upright?  Or....should I prune this a bit more to clear out some competition?  Maybe both?

Back in early January, I wrote a post titled " An Early, Early Look at 2026 Projects and To-Do List " that included a look at a bunch of potential projects.   One of the items listed for the backyard was this: Replace Oakleaf Hydrangeas. Dang rabbits.  Maybe add a few Thujas , too.  I think I've arrived at a place where I have to do something about the Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  I have loved them - but the rabbit pressure has just about killed them the past few years.  Here's a post from January, too where I showed how the (dang!) rabbits had gnawed away at these shrubs .  I wrote this then, and still feel it today: I've protected some of them with chicken wire cages, but the small ones (dwarf) are just about eaten back to the trunks. And some of the Alice (larger ones) have been reduced, too. I *REALLY* like Oakleaf Hydrangeas. But, I don't know if our garden is going to work for them. Working AGAINST what works is something I need to stop doing as a gar...

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...