Why I Oughta...

Late last year, I dug up, divided and transplanted a number of Summer Beauty Ornamental Onions (Allium) around the backyard - including four divisions around the tree-swing Northern Red Oak tree .   I also dug and and divided a large Christmas Tree hosta (that I really like) into three new divisions and planted them behind the allium, closer to the tree trunk . How have those divisions done?  In less than one year, they seem to have recovered quite well.  See below for a couple of photos showing the Summer Beauty Allium, spaced with some polka dot annual plants and the Christmas Tree hostas behind them: They are better than what was there before - a ring of hostas.  And, I've learned that I can pretty sharply divide Summer Beauty and move them around.  Note to self for Fall 2023 dividing.

Fall is - maybe - the most productive I'm in the garden all season.  The cool temperatures sure help.  But, so does the fact that you can get pretty great deals on plants at the nursery in October.  And...couple that with this being the best time to divide perennials means I'm out there making lots of additions to the beds. My 'NEW free plants' scorecard this fall reads like this:  2 hostas under the Oak , 2 Bressingham Blues by the Viburnums and 2 Lancifolia Hostas in the fern garden .   That's six new plants so far. But, the past weekend saw even more dividing and transplanting.  First up, the hostas that are sitting under the Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeams.  They've struggled from what I think is either sunburn or frost burn the past few years.  They are very likely getting TOO MUCH sun.  Below is a photo showing a larger hosta in the middle with my spade showing how I was going to divide this one.  And, to the right is a sma...

First planted as a tiny nursery hosta (from Menards) in 2018, we have a lone Christmas Tree Hosta in our backyard, under the Northern Red Oak tree swing tree .  That means this hosta is in its fifth growing season.  I posted a photo of it in August of 2020 - right about two years ago.  Check it out here .  Last August (2021), I included an inventory of some (potential) division candidates and included this hosta .   Finally... last Fall (2021), I included a photo of its yellow foliage right as it was heading towards dormancy .   So...what does it look like today?  See below for the current state: It has continued to put on more size and mass.  That means...it should go on my Fall 2022 division candidate list.   Earlier this Summer, I mentioned that some of the bare root Frances Williams hostas need to be relocated .  They're in the same bed as this one.    Add these all to the list along with the purple Astilbes...

Some of our hostas - that the rabbits haven't gotten to yet - are putting on a nice Fall show of yellows and oranges.  First...below...you can spy the Christmas Tree hosta that is planted by the large Northern Red Oak tree swing tree.   Interesting combination of orange, yellow and green that shows the perennial in a state of transition.  Really like how this one looks in late Fall. On the other side of the backyard, a different hosta is going from green to yellow underneath the Greenspire Linden trees that are espalier'd into a horizontal cordon. After reading this piece in the NYT from Margaret Roach entitled: Take A Walk In The Garden Before It's Too Late - I've done just that:  gotten out and walked around most mornings to simply observe the changing season.  One of my 2022 to-do's is to focus on a four-season garden with Fall being one of the seasons I *know* I need to focus on if I want to extend the garden past the hot Summer season.

 One of the items on my early Fall garden task list is to divide up some of my hostas.  I usually do this in Spring and I think that causes many of them to be delayed a bit and not reach their potential in the growing season.  I've read around and it seems that there's mixed views :  some divide in Fall.  Some in Spring.  So, that's what I'm going to do:  divide some in the Fall.  After having divided a lot in the Spring.  Seems like the month of September is the month to divide.  I figure I'll give these a go right after Labor Day.  Cooling temperatures, but still enough time to establish themselves before going dormant with Winter. Here, below, is an inventory of some of the hostas that I think are ready to be divided.  By my count, there are 9 eligible specimens.  Dividing these will give me nine new plants to add to the beds.  For no cost and just a little bit of effort.  What's not to love about that?  ...

Yesterday, I posted a photo of a teardown hosta that I've determined is a Ventricosa Hosta with deep purple flowers , and today, I wanted to share another photo of a unique hosta that we have in our backyard:  the Christmas Tree hosta.  I planted this Christmas Tree hosta back in May of 2018 after finding it at the garden center of Menards .  What is a Christmas Tree hosta?  From this listing on New Hampshire Hostas , they describe it like this: 'Christmas Tree' Hosta produces dark green leaves with a thin yellow margin that fades to creamy white in the summer, and occasionally streaks to the center of the leaf.  Forms an attractive mound of rounded leaves that are cupped and heavily corrugated. This is the third growing season and while the plant has grown, it isn't a massive clump just yet - so I haven't attempted to dig it up and divide it just yet.  It is planted around the large Oak tree (with the swing) on the side of the tree that is facing...