Why I Oughta...

Over the past few years, I have posted a few 'getting to know' posts about Korean Maples starting with Summer 2024 when I posted the first:  Northern Glow Korean Maple . Last year, I posted one about the Arctic Jade Korean Maple and then last Fall, I wrote this 'getting to know' post about North Wind Korean Maple .   Today, I came across a fourth Korean Maple:  Alpenglow Korean Maple from the Jack Frost Collection at Iseli Nursery.  This is Acer x pseudosieboldianum. I saw this at The Growing Place in Naperville where they have this point-of-sale sign where they label it 'new 2026'.   Here's how Iseli describes Alpenglow : Alpenglow® is a red-leafed, upright hybrid maple that is hardy down to –30F. In spring, merlot leaves dance on arching branches; translucent veins help them catch the light and glow. The deep red mellows to a burnished bronze in summer and finally turns to blazing orange and red in fall. A refined oval habit and sturdy branching mak...

Now in their fifth growing season, the pair of Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum that were planted as two-gallon container-grown shrubs have (finally) become significant in their coverage.  Persisting despite rabbit pressure (thanks to some chicken-wire cages), this pair of upright-habit shrubs sit behind the tree-swing Oak tree in the backyard.  They were prescribed in this spot by our plan and I've really grown to appreciate them and their utility.   Here they are in their current state below - showing the upright nature and how they received their (arrow-wood) name: I'm (still) trying to replace some of the Oakwood Hydrangeas with something more rabbit-proof like the tree-form Doublefile Viburnums.  But, one of the interesting differences between the Arrowwood and Doublefile is the bloom-time:  Doublefiles bloomed weeks ago.  Arrowwood is still forming buds.  

Back in 2023, I (finally) was fed-up with the pair of rhododendrons that were planted on either side of our back stoop and dug them up and transplanted them back into the far-reaches of the garden and replaced them with some dwarf Spring Grove Ginkgo trees.  I've never looked back and have been very happy with that change.   The rhododendrons were planted in the shadow of the Dawn Redwood and (honestly...) mostly forgotten.   Part of my frustration with these shrubs were the lack of blooms and the leggy-nature of the form.   Imagine my surprise when I was in the backyard and caught some purple blooms out of the corner of my eye.  There, under the canopy of the Dawn Redwood was one of the rhododendrons with ten-or-so purple blooms.  Here is a look at the shrub:  Pretty, pretty, pretty nice, right? 

Last week, my set of tubers from Bonny Blooms arrived (finally) and I quickly got to work planting them up in one-gallon nursery containers.  I ordered seven total dahlia tubers from Bonny Blooms in November 2025.   This was the first time I have ordered from Bonny Blooms and selected four different dahlia varieties:  Bell's Palermo (1 tuber), Peaches-N-Cream (2 tubers), Crichton Honey (2 tubers) and Brown Sugar (2 tubers).  These all were dahlias that I came across in year-end videos on Dahlia-Tok that growers/flower farmers have raved about in terms of how they look and how prolific bloomers they were in their own fields .   I was getting a little impatient because my order from Bonny Blooms had not arrived, so I went to their site where on the homepage they have a little 'chat' widget in the bottom corner .  Based on some advice on a dahlia-growing Facebook group, I pasted my order number in that chat window and inquired about shipping.  A day-...

In mid-April, I began unwrapping, dividing and potting-up my dahlia tubers .  And, I ended up with more than 90 one-gallon nursery pots of tubers.  Were all of them viable?  I wasn't sure.  But, today, I am feeling a higher-degree of confidence in what the viability-rate looks like.  By early May, many of them were sprouting, but some still lagged behind and didn't get started.  I tried to get a good division that included a body, a neck and some portion of the crown.  Turns out, I didn't get it perfect, but did pretty well. I recently moved the tubers up out of the basement window wells to the screened porch.  Below is a look at the layout showing more than 80 viable dahlias.  #6 on my 2026 to-do list was to "Go even Bigger on Dahlias" .  I'd say that I can cross that one off my list: Some are barely moving like this one below with a tiny bit of green foliage tipping through the potting mix: While others are more than a foot tall like t...

Transplanted from my sister's neighbor Wes on Indiana Street in 2021 , this purple iris has grown quite a bit over the years.  This is planted on the southside of our front porch in a low area that gets some good water (when it rains).  They bloom every May it seems as this post from 2025 shows a similar bloom-season.   Below is a look at the current state of this perennial.  I think this might be something I can consider dividing this season.  A quick Google search indicates that post-bloom time later this Summer is the right time to divide them.  Early enough to give them time to get established before dormancy.  

Last year, I planted three Nepetas that were new (to me) named Chartreuse on the Loose down near the pizza oven in our backyard.  By Summertime, they had grown-in and were re-blooming .  In that post from July 2025, I wrote: I've mentioned that I need to continue to remind myself to add more of WHAT IS WORKING instead of adding net-new stuff. But, these are both a reminder that sometimes new things can be great. But, now that I see them working, I have put them in the category of 'more of this plant because it is working'.... Repetition comes into play here, too. A few pops of this - along with my other 'backbone plants' (Hakonechloa, Alliums, Astilbes and Stachys) create that idea of 'repetition' - leading to...you guessed it: increased legibility. I also wrote (earlier this year) in my 2026 to-do list a few items worth referencing right now: #4 - Plant up the Pizza Oven Bed and #15 - Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new.   With t...

My container design work is average - at best.  I grew up with a red geraniums + spike mom-gardener, so my ability to put together striking containers typically falls short.  Every year, for the past few years, I've included this line in my annual to-do list ( this year, it is #1 6):  "Do better containers." I have a few back patio containers: two larger patio ones and some smaller ones that go on our stoop.  Last year, I planted a (new to me) trailing flower:  Superbells Coral Sun.  I really liked it .  So this year, when I saw it on the nursery table, I grabbed a few of them.  And, close-by was something else that I like in my containers:  euphorbia.  Diamond Frost from Proven Winners.   For now, I tucked those two things together in a few smaller containers.  It needs one more thing, but I'll find that in the next few weeks and add it.  For now, here, below is a peek at those containers. First up is one of them aft...

Yesterday, I posted a photo showing the six new Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' plugs that I stuck in the front of the border by the little colony of Hellebores in our backyard.  I talked about how I wanted to 'keep going' on groundcover this year mostly with a mix of Ajuga and Carex.  Why?  Because those are the two groundcovers that I've had the most success with over the years.  I also should list sedum because a few of those have worked, too.  #1 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'stop fighting nature' and #15 was focus on repetition vs net-new things and #20 was to 'keep going' on groundcover.  When you combine all three of those things what do you get?  The answer:  more Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip'.   There's plenty of reasons to shop at your local nursery over a big box store parking lot temporary nursery, but the prices on their groundcover plugs is NOT one of them.  Thanks to the folks at the Home Depot, you can buy a tray of six Ajuga plugs...

Amongst the excitement of the temperatures warming up and planting season arriving, I often need to return to my annual 'to-do' list to remind myself of the priorities.  #20 on my list was to 'keep going with groundcover' - something that I've been working on the past few seasons.  Well...groundcover AND conifers.  Because I was lacking BOTH.   My groundcover of choice has been Ajuga.  Mostly of the 'Chocolate Chip' variety.  But, I saw this tray of Burgundy Glow plugs on the bench at Menards and I figured I'd give these another run.  I say 'another run' because I've had Burgundy Glow before, but it didn't make it. I bought it for a Fairy Garden and transplanted it late in the season in the back .  It didn't survive Winter .  I also planted a single plant IB2DWs .  That one, too is gone.   This time, I'm planting six plugs.  And, planting them earlier in the year in hopes they can get established before the heat of Au...

I found this dwarf blue spruce on a high graft - or 'on standard' a week back and I went back for it the next day and brought it home.  Named Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa'.  You can see the bright spring growth on the tips of this thing in the first photo below.  Is this a tree?  I don't think so.  Let's call this an evergreen shrub, so it won't go on my [trees planted] list.  But, being up 'on standard' almost makes me call it a tree.   Here, below is the front/back of the plant tag showing the blue color. I have three other blue spruces - two in front IB2DWs and one in the back.  The two up front are doing good (one better than the other) , but the one in back is in severe decline.   Blue spruces add an interesting color and texture to the garden, so my brain made the connection between the 'blank spot' I had been staring at for a few weeks in the [kitchen curved] bed and this dwarf conifer.  When I brought it home, I plop'...

Last Summer, I planted our second Korean Maple tree named the Arctic Jade from Iseli Nursery that is part of their Jack Frost Collection of cold-hardy trees.  In late May, I posted the first "Getting to Know" post about the tree that highlighted the features of this tree .  And, in early June, I planted it in the backyard .  The tree seemed to do great in its first season and put on a nice Fall show.  Here's a full-tree picture on November first and here's a close-up of the colors in the foliage a few days later .   This Spring, however...has been a different story.  The other Korean Maple - Northern Glow ( planted in 2024 ) arrived as expected and has leaf'd out as it should have the past few weeks.  But, the Arctic Jade Korean Maple is stuck in neutral.  Just two leaves, down near the base of the tree.  Here, below are some photos showing this tree.  First up, the pair of leaves you can see below.  Also note...the root flare...

Something that I included on my 2026 to-do list (#15) is to focus on repetition vs. planting net-new things.  I wrote this: 15. Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new.   I had this same one in my 2025 list . This is a reminder to future Jake who is staring at the tables at the nursery this Summer. Stop. Focus. More of what we have, not wandering diversity. See #1, #3, #8. That means: Sun Kings, Autumn Ferns, Ajuga, Sedums, Carex, Autumn Moor Grasses, Hakonecholas, Astilbes, Nepeta and annuals. For shrubs, it means Viburnums. Well...this here is 'Future Jake' and I'm here to report on what I came home with from the annual Morton Arboretum Plant Sale. And the report contains good news: I bought more of things I already have including Sun Kings and Hakonechloa Grasses. Below are some photos of the plant sale signs and the trios of one-gallon containers that I bought of each kind: These are the third collection of Sun Kings that I'll have in the backyar...