Why I Oughta...

I seem to have gotten on top of the spider mites in the sideyard.  Those plants are starting to show new, green growth (I'll post on that separately), but those plants haven't begun to re-flower.  Yet.  But, the rest of the dahlias are still popping off.  The heavy rain we had over the weekend has weighed down the plants and flower heads, so I cut a bunch off and brought them inside.  One arrangement on the left that is a little bit more compact and tight.  And, one on the right that is a bit more wild and splayed open. Milena Fleur, Rip City, Saint Martin, Brown Sugar and Crichton Honey.   #6 on my 2026 to-do list ( marked incomplete earlier this month ) was to "Go Bigger on Dahlias".  Seems that has been done.  

I've been working on a wasserspiel (water feature) that includes a DIY Alpine trough that can be part of an upgraded water feature in the backyard.  The current water feature is a half-barrel with an insert that is stuck about half-way back in the garden and it is mostly a sound-feature.   The inspiration for the new feature is in this post (via Instagram) and includes a basin dug into the ground, covered in gravel with a stone trough on top that empties into the gravel and then recirculates.   That means that I have to identify a spot that I can dig out for a basin, cover it with gravel and set the DIY Alpine trough on top.  Oh...I also have to make the LARGER trough, as my current one is simply proof-of-concept.   I've been thinking about water features around the patio for years.  This post from 2017 (almost 10 years ago, eeek) shows a waterfall/creek that I fell in love with and talked about how it could work around the steps to the pat...

Over the past week or so, I've posted the first posts in my compost bin turning process.  In part one, I emptied the tumbler, removed the (mostly) finished compost from the third (finishing) bin and filled the tumbler back up .  In part two , I upgraded the finishing bin with some additional cedar boards to hold in more of that "black gold" near the bottom.   In that part two post, I outlined what was going to happen next :  The next step (which I'll cover in Part 3) is to open up the middle (mixing) bin and the left (holding bin) and pull everything out and build a mixed pile that I can load up into the finishing bin. I'll add a couple of layers of mixed material, slide in the first level of the aeration pipes. Add more material, then add the second level of pipes. Then, pile in the rest of the material to fill the finishing bin. I typically OVERFILL the the finishing bin. Mound up the material HIGHER than the rails of the bin. When the pile decomposes, i...

Just when everything was starting to look a little crispy, we get absolutely SATURATED with three inches of rain that all came down in just a few hours.  What's not to love about seeing the rain gauge filled up to the [3] mark?  I'll tell you:  nothing. One of the things that I'll try to keep in mind as the cooler temperatures arrive is to keep watering.  Keep watering.  Especially those Korean Maples that went in this year.  And, the dahlias, of course.

Am I disappointed that I am NOT growing a Bell's Palermo dahlia ?  Yeah.  Sort of.  But, am I now (sort of) falling in love with whatever this dahlia that is growing in our front yard?  Yeah.  Sort of.  Is it Candela?  Maybe.  Does it have short stems?  Yes.  Certainly.   But, it also has this spectacular bloom:

I usually will open up Erin the Impatient Gardener's "Garden Stroll" YouTube videos in one tab, move it to my second screen and let it play while I fiddle around with some other stuff in other tabs.  On a couple of recent videos in her garden, she pauses and talks about a bunch of specific plants.  Many of them, I'm familiar with and some of them I have in my own garden.   But, the past few videos, there's been a plant that she talked about (and has in her garden) that is also something that Nat has recently pointed out on one of our neighborhood walks as 'a nice plant'.   That plant is Calamintha Nepeta ‘Montrose White’. Here at the 14:44 mark in her August Garden Stroll, she talks about Montrose White and how it is starting to bloom .  Late...in August.  And, how she interplants it with Sesleria Autumnalis and Alliums.  Hmmm...I like those other two? Then, in this week's September Garden Stroll video, she once again, talks up Calamintha 'Mo...

I was supposed to have two Crichton Honey tubers in the garden this year.  I'm certain that I have one.  The one next to the pizza oven.  I labeled it as dahlia #1 in my 42 tuber planting map .  I bought two Crichton Honey tubers from Bonny Blooms.   The other one is at spot #12 along the sideyard .  But, that whole bed has been suffering the past few weeks from a terrible infestation of Spider Mites.  So, I'm not seeing ANY blooms.  And, I'm not sure that it is Crichton Honey.  At least yet. But, the pizza oven version?  Have a look: And, in addition to being real (and spectacular), they're certainly popping off right now with blooms and blooms. Apricot blooms.  Almost orange.    I think they say "pumping out blooms" in the trade.  That checks out. While my time right now is spent with my little snips cutting off flowers for arrangements....I am hoping that all this above-ground plant happiness that I'm seeing means...

The Babe was going to a team dinner at the home of one of her teammates and wanted to bring a little dahlia arrangement to give to the host.  This one is small, but packs some punch.  Includes Ivanetti, Rip City 1 , Saint Martin waterlily dahlias and the star of the show:  Crichton Honey.  It also has a group of small Burlesca Pompon Dahlias - which I'm growing more fond of as the season wanes on.   I also clipped a few springs of Silver Dollar eucalytpus.  And, a spray of Lucky Charm anemone for some height.   I'm continuing to believe that I like Ball dahlias as my favorite variety, but these little pompons are growing on me.  The mix here of Waterlily, Ball and Pompon along with a semi-cactus provide some nice textural contrast.   1. I'm calling this Rip City here, but it isn't Rip City . ↩

Over the weekend, we went down to see our Fighting Illini take on the Duke Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference at Gies Memorial Stadium.  Despite the terrible outcome (feels like one of the worst losses in the Bret Bielema era, doesn't it?), this was the first time we were able to see - in person - the largest scoreboard in college sports.   That's how the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and scoreboard company Daktronics bill it .   Heading into the game, we knew it was going to be BIG.  But...seeing it in person really *is* something.  It is...genuinely YUGE.  And, the team is doing some neat stuff with it in terms of engaging the fans.  I presumed it was going to be used for ALL ADS.  ALL THE TIME.  But, it really wasn't.  They also added some new boards around the stadium - above the students, along the West side.  And, under the overhang of the east side.  We sit on the east...

Yesterday, I posted what I labeled as "Part 1" of my compost turning process that I recently started in the far backyard of the garden.  I previously emptied the compost tumbler of finished compost (Black Gold) and then turned my attention to the three bins.  I emptied the 'finishing bin' and filled the tumbler.   Part two covers the next step: Upgrading the cedar panels in the third (finishing) bin to help retain the decomposing material inside the actual bin. I started upgrading the bins a few seasons ago.  In Fall 2024, I turned the bins and then installed some cedar fence boards to the interior of the third bin.  That was designed to try to retain more of the finished compost inside the fence panels.  Here's the post that shows those initial boards installed in the front face of the bin .   The boards worked, but I could use a few more to continue to hold back the organic material from pilling out the bin. I have some cedar boards laying...

A couple weeks ago, I posted photos and details of how I was emptying the compost tumbler of finished compost (black gold) and top-dressing the dahlias around the garden.  And, stashing piles of compost in beds that I'd like to improve after the growing season (like the pizza oven bed that is full of clay).   #14 on my 2026 to-do list is to be an active compost gardener.   To be that, I need to turn the bins.   For me, that's an annual process.  I do it in late Summer/Fall.   And, that process was something that I recently started.  This post will cover part one (not sure how many parts there will be) of that process.   First, let's start off with the state of play with the three bin setup.   Left = holding bin.  The freshest material.  Not properly mixed. Center = mixed bin.  Material that is (at least) one-year aged.  And (hopefully) properly mixed. Right = finishing bin.   Two-y...

They can't all be 'gardening wins', can they? Yesterday, I posted about how lovely the Talavera Moondust Coleus was doing in the corner patio bed in our backyard.  And, about a week ago, I posted an update on the Wizard Sun Red Velvet Coleus in our front yard Island Bed .  And remarked how its compact growing habit has been a nice surprise.   At the end of that post , I declared myself a Coleus fan.   Looking back at the [ coleus ] archives here on my [garden diary], I see a turning point where I began to plant coleus in mass plantings as a bedding plant.  And that's changed the way I use coleus.  Prior to 2024, I was tucking them into containers.  Shade containers, mostly.   But, once I began to 'get to know' coleus and learned about the difference between sun and shade-tolerant varieties , I started to experiment a little bit more.   That started with a Flame Thrower Coleus that I planted in a larger container and put o...

A few days ago, I posted an update on the 'compact' coleus (Wizard Sun Red Velvet Coleus) that I planted up front in the Island Bed in our front yard and talked about how my thinking on them has evolved as the Summer has gone on.  I initially was dissatisfied with their size, but after seeing them branch-out (a little bit), I've now come to the realization that their compact growing habit is a feature.  Not a bug.  Today is about celebrating another coleus that I've planted as a bedding plant:  Talavera Moondust Coleus that is planted in the corner bed by the patio.  I posted about this planting in early August when I declared they were doing: preeetay, preetay, preetay good .   Today, in early September, they're doing *even better*.  These have lived up to their billing as 'late flowering' and 'non-bolting' as I've only had to pinch off a few flower buds.   Last year, I declared the planting of some Inferno Coleus in this same spot a...

A week-or-so ago, I posted a photo of what I was calling my first (ever) Bell's Palermo dahlia.  Or...a bloom that was coming off of a dahlia from a tuber that I bought that I *thought* was Bell's Palermo.   But, I was suspicious.  Here's what I wrote at the time : It is, well, interesting. And large. And, not what I was thinking it was going to look like. I went on further : I mentioned that I bought this one (and some others) from Bonny Blooms.  They handle customer service thought a chat window on their site 1 . I submitted a similar note there - asking if this was, indeed, Bell's Palermo.   Here's what Craig from Bonny Blooms responded: Bonny Blooms Hi, I took a look at that picture and you're right - it's not Palermo. Some of my unreleased dahlias were sent in error in the the spring and I wonder if that's what it is - or it could be Candela, but I'd need to see it fully open and perhaps a second bloom as the tones aren't quite right. I...

First time growing Crichton Honey Dahlia and I know 'get it'.  I understand why it is so widely loved and grown.  It is a star.  I planted two of them, but I'm pretty sure one was mis-labeled.  But, the Crichton Honey that is next to the pizza oven?  ( #1 on my placement list ).  It is certainly true to listing.   And, it is coming on strong.  Below are a couple of photos of the blooms that I cut off this morning: I also went around and cut some other blooms:  Great Silence Decorative Dahlia , Milena Fleur Decorative Dahlia, Rip City Semi-Cactus dahlia, small little Burlesca Ball dahlias , and a uniquely-colored Zundert Mystery Fox Dahlia . Here, below, are a couple of photos of the cluster of cut stems: Here, in the center of the photo below, is that uniquely-colored Zundert Mystery Fox dahlia.  It is more purple than my other Mystery Fox blooms: Living up to its name, I guess. Here's what Longfield Gardens says about Mystery Fox...

Over the weekend, we spent part of a day at the Walworth County Fair up in Elkhorn, Wisconsin .  Eating corn dogs, seeing the 4-K kids with their animals.  Watching the horseback barrel races.  And, of course...spending some time in the Horticulture Building.  Looking at the cut flowers.  The two categories that I'm most interested in seeing are (of course) dahlias.  And Zinnias.  Here, below, is a look at some of the dahlia entries: I believe that the stems have to be in place about mid-week.  So, these are 3-4-or-5 days old by the time that we see them.  So, they're on their way out in terms of vase-life. Can I say something? Am I wrong?

Back at the beginning of August, I posted about the front yard Island Bed annuals .  And, talked about how I should have planted more Vinca and was underwhelmed by the coleus.  At that time,  I wrote this : The coleus in this bed have (also) been a disappointment. But, that's for a separate post so I can learn from the experience. The coleus that I have up there is named Wizard Sun Velvet Red Coleus .  Here's the post when I bought them.  And, the description: Compact, mid-sized foliage plant with upright habit is ideal for mixed containers, planters, baskets and landscapes. Easy-care plants are late flowering, extending their landscape value. Emphasis, mine. Compact.  Compact!  That was the 'bug' back earlier this Summer.  Last year, the coleus that I grew were LARGER and fuller.  But, they also swallowed up everything behind them.  The Spring Grove Ginkgo.  The Greenlee Sesleria were nowhere to be seen .   Now....move a...

I've been harvesting the purple blooms off of the Lisianthus Celeb Metallic Blue plants that I tucked into our front yard over the past few weeks.  They're interesting, but I'm thinking that I'm not maximizing them as a cut flower.  By that, I mean that I'm probably making a rookie (cut flower) mistake:  cutting the stems too short.   It is human nature (I think) to cut them short.  You see these secondary (emerging) buds on the stems and you don't want to sacrifice them by cutting deeply.  So, you end up cutting them short.  And, you get MORE blooms.  But, they're SHORT ones.   I've been surprised by how EASY these have been to grow.  They're all doing well and pumping out blooms, despite not being billed as cut-and-come-again.  I've fed them on the same monthly cycle as dahlias/roses with the 3-in-1 and pests haven't been a problem.   I have a little rabbit fence around these, but Google says that rabbits will...

Now things are starting to get good.  With the dahlias.  Different varieties and types make for an interesting grouping.  Here is what I cut on a recent morning from the front and side yard beds:

I included a Fall garden project on my 2026 to-do list that I haven't done in a few seasons: plant Fall bulbs. It was #13 on my list . Earlier this Spring, I found a naturlized crocus growing in the lawn and talked about how 2026 should be the year of planting my bulb lawn. After all, one of my favorite garden follows on the Web (Erin the Impatient Gardener) called the bulb lawn that she put in " "the best garden project she's ever done ". Well...imagine my delight when I came across this rack at Menards. Full of Fall planting bulbs. I grabbed this photo and said to myself:  "You don't know enough about these to buy anything.  Yet." Yet.   How do I get past "Yet".   One of the things that I picked up from Erin's videos about her bulb lawn is the sheer volume of bulbs she's using (thousands.  Yes...thousands of bulbs.), but also that she's focusing on short-height varieties.  Things that aren't super tall and work w...