Why I Oughta...

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...

I just applied the final feeding/treatment of the five Disneyland Roses and the 42 dahlias that are scattered around the garden.  I sprinkled the first application of the 3-in-1 systemic (and synthetic) granules at the beginning of May this year.   From there, I did a monthly application:  Early April, Early May, Early June, Early July, Early August and now....right as the calendar turns to September.  That's 7 applications.   This is the final feeding of the season.  And, that's the schedule that I've kept the past few years:  final application of fertilizer right around Labor Day.    Here's the post from 2025.   Here's the final feeding from 2024 (also in September ).  With all the plants that I need to treat, it seems that I'm using almost one full container of this BioAdvanced all-in-one Rose & Flower Care product with each feeding.   At about $22 per container, that's $150 of fertilizer, insecticide and fungu...

A week or so ago, I debuted the initial build of my (DIY) Alpine trough wasserspiel (water feature) that I created out of a Styrofoam cooler and Vinyl Concrete Patch.  I built up a few layers of the concrete patch and tried to age it/paint it to make it appear more stone-like in appearance.  On top of that, I then applied a heavy-hand of spray waterproofing.  I chose Gorilla Brand Waterproof spray.  And...it turns out....spray waterproofing (with some sort of 'solvent' in the mix that allows it to be propelled as a spray, I think??) EATS AWAY at foam.  In this case, a Styrofoam cooler.   I sprayed the waterproofing on all sides - inside and out.  And, then, I tucked it away in the garage to await the '24 hour curing period'.  My plan was to then water-test it.   When I grabbed it out of the garage, I noticed something.  One of the inside corners looked different.  It was soft and 'eaten away'. Ugh.  I guess I didn't ...

Just a few days ago, I posted about the pair of Peaches-n-Cream dahlia plants that I've been growing in the IB2DWs bed(s) and how their bi-color blooms were starting to shine .  Both in terms of colors, but also shape/texture.  Like Peaches-n-Cream, today's post is about a dahlia tuber that I bought from Bonny Blooms.  This one is a first-bloom-of-the-season for a new (to me) dahlia:  Bell's Palermo. If you look at this post from November , you'll see that in my Bonny Blooms order, I ordered pairs of tubers for all varieties but one:  Bell's Palermo.   That's because it was double the price of the rest of the tubers.   But, now in Late August, the plant has put on some size and we're seeing the first bloom.  On a really short stem.  But...still a bloom.   It is, well, interesting.  And large.  And, not what I was thinking it was going to look like.  Here, below are a few photos of the very same bloom.  ...

Just when things were going swimmingly with dahlia season pop'ing off, we have a setback.  And, this one was an accident.  I planted a number of dahlias in the Pizza Oven Bed.  I called it the "Pizza Oven West Bed" because it is, well...West of the oven.  And, that makes them *close* to tree swing.  Which, up until this week hasn't been an issue.  But...kids will be kids.  And, one-way-or-the-other, someone found themselves in, amongst the dahlias.  And, unfortunately....that means that two of them had stems that were cracked off.   A Milena Fluer decorative dahlia.  And, Rip City.  Or... what I was sold as Rip City (but I'm pretty sure isn't really Rip City.) Here, below, are a couple of photos.  Milena Fleur on the left.  "Rip City" on the right.  Both were cut down by about half.     Below are a couple more photos showing the close-ups of the cracks.   And, here below, are a couple of...

The last time I shared photos of some cut flower arrangements here on the garden diary was back in early August .  Since then, I've cut and put together a number of countertop arrangements.  For our kitchen.  For friends.  For neighbors.  Here are a few below.   In this jade-colored hobnail vase that I've used a number of times this year is a mixed ALL dahlia cut flower arrangement featuring:  Rip City semi-cactus dahlia, Blue Wish dahlia, Milena Fleur decorative dahlia, Wizard of Oz dahlia, Jowey Winnie, and a bunch of Saint Martin dahlias. In this smaller milkglass vase is a similar selection of dahlias:  Blue Wish, Jowey Winnie, Milena Fleur.  But also some Brown Sugar and some Silver Dollar Eucalyptus that I snipped off one of the plants: Here, below is that same jade-colored hobnail vase with a different set of dahlias.  Some that I cut longer/taller like the Pooh collarette ones.  And those Saint Martins on long stems....