Why I Oughta...

I planted a trio of Green Gem Boxwoods in the backyard in Fall of 2021 .  That feels like an eternity ago, doesn't it?  They've had two full growing seasons (2022, 2023) and are headed into their third (2024).  They went in as tiny, one-gallon pots that were 50% off (my favorite price).   Looking back at their initial size, they've put on some good growth over the years, but they're certainly NOT mature just yet.  This post talks about them being more dwarf in size - topping out at two-to-three-foot balls .   Here's what they looked like last Fall - October 2023 - when I remarked that they had filled out.   I was out in the yard this week and noticed that one of these Green Gem evergreen shrubs took on some Winter damage.  Dry, brown tips that appear to have died-back with the cold temperatures.  See below for a look at the winter burn/winter damage: Over the Winter,  I decided to pull a couple of boulders closer to the front of the border  and sat a large square o

One of the things that I've been thinking about is boulders.  How to use them.  Where to use them.  Why to use them.  In my garden.  That's because (mostly) my new conifer garden. But, also...because of my dream of a pond.   Like most things, you can wander around the Web and find all sorts of tips/tricks/inspiration for how/when/why to use boulders.  Like this post from Nelson Landscaping in Oklahoma where they  give a few ideas, including: Highlight a single boulder as a focal point. Group boulders together to create a cohesive and natural look. Incorporate boulders into your patio design to add texture and visual interest. Use rocks and boulders to add height and dimension to your front or backyard. Surround boulders with pebbles and gravel to create a cohesive look. Everybody is talking about large boulders.  That's what the pros use.  When I say 'large', I mean HUGE.  Boulders that you need heavy equipment to move around. I don't have heavy equipment. But,

Planted in late October 2021 , the set of three Green Gem Boxwoods planted in the backyard beds have continued to put on some size and seem to have established themselves enough to basically go on auto-pilot from here-on-out.  They were small one gallon plants from the Orange box store that were on the 50% off sale - coming in under $5 a piece.  They're smaller-scale boxwoods and were planted to provide some evergreen structure to a place that is mid-border that is mostly shade. What do they look like today?  Below is a photo showing the three of them that have filled out and grown quite a bit of mass in their two years: Compared to just February of this year, they've put on a bunch of growth this season .  Also, a reminder....that these didn't bronze much over last Winter - and is something that I can watch this year. The Summer Beauty alliums have begun to encroach on them at the top of the photo and the center of the planting is ripe for something to be tucked right in

Last week, I came across the initial delivery of some common trees in nursery containers at the orange big box store .  These trees were the first real sign of Spring in terms of plant material that arrived, but I knew that more was on the way.  This past week, I wandered out to the parking-lot nursery and saw a few boxwoods in various sizes.  Knowing that I want to add A LOT of boxwoods to a few spots this year, I figured I'd see what they have on hand. First up is Green Gem.  I have a trio of these in the back .  They also have a variety of Green Mountain boxwoods in 3, 2, and 1 gallon sizes.  I have one of these.  At least... I thought I had one of these .  But, it bronzed up pretty good, so I'm not sure if it was mislabeled.  This year, they have a larger one - 3 gallon. The third variety that they had (on-hand) is Green Mound.  That's new (to me).  See below for the one gallon nursery container for $10.98. Green Mound stays pretty small - two-to-three feet all and wid

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a photo and details of a singular Boxwood - Green Mountain - that I planted under our tree swing Oak Tree and talked about how it was turning a bright almost-orange color in what they call "Winter Bronzing".  In that post , I included some references that called out Green Mountain as a particular cultivar that was noted for NOT bronzing and maintaining green color all year long.  I came to the conclusion that I wasn't quite sure this was, indeed, a Green Mountain boxwood .  The shape - which is indeterminate at this point - is going to be the real tell.  Green Mountain is pyramidal vs more globe-shaped.  As it matures, that's going to be something to watch.   At the same (Fall 2021) that I planted the Green Mountain boxwood, I also planted three tiny Green Gem boxwoods on the other side of the yard .  Green Gem is a dwarf cultivar that grows in a small globe-like shape that gets just a couple of feet tall and wide.  (note... the Missou

This is the second winter for this little, evergreen shrub.  Planted in the Fall of 2021 , it has just hung out here, under the Oak Tree (tree swing tree) in the bed on the north side of the property.  Green Mountain is properly named: Buxus sempervirens 'Green Mountain'. And, based on this post where I tried to get smart on variety vs. cultivar vs. sport terminology , the single quotation marks are - what I thought the real tell was.  But, I'm not totally sure?   Single quotes = cultivar, right?  But, I think the second word is NOT supposed to be capitalized? Hinsdale Nursery calls it a cultivar .  So, let's go with that.   Green Mountain is a Boxwood cultivar. And, this cultivar is pyramidal - which was why I was drawn to it and planted it as a single evergreen shrub in the bed.   It hasn't grown too terribly much in the past growing season, but it is still here.   But, calling it an evergreen is a misnomer, right?  Look at that photo.  It is orange, isn't it

Last Fall, I found a few Green Gem Boxwoods - in late October - that were discounted at the orange Big Box nursery.  I brought them home and planted them in the backyard in the bed on the south fenceline .  They were right in front of a colony of Summer Beauty Ornamental Alliums and are set back from the border by just a little bit.  They were in 1# nursery containers, so they were VERY SMALL.   Having planted them so late, I wasn't sure how they'd handle the Winter.  Fortunately, they survived and were still green come Spring. I included a photo in early Spring that showed these .   How are they doing today?  They've put on a bunch of new, lime-green growth.  See below for a photo showing these doing well in this spot.  You can also see (below) some of the Allium and the 'cracked' Ginko tree on the far right . These boxwoods weren't (technically) in the plan, but I was thinking I could use some evergreen structure to the garden - not to mention 'winter inte

There are signs of life emerging EVERYWHERE around our garden.  Here's a few photos of things that are bringing me a little bit of Spring joy in beds around our garden.  First, the IB2DW bed - which has (now) five Pinball Wizard Allium bulbs that were planted last year .  Below, you can see the red-ish tips of the foliage emerging from the mulch.   On the south side of the house is an Iris that my Sister Vic gave to me from her Indiana Street (Elmhurst) neighbor.  I call this "Wes' Iris" .  It is coming alive as I type: Under the troubled (in Decline) Norway Maple out front are some *new* (to me) tulips that have arrived for the first time (below).  I planted these last year .  They're DIFFERENT in that the foliage is variegated and has a pink(ish) stripe down the edge.  And, here below, are a BUNCH more tulips that I planted down near the sidewalk in that troublesome spot.  Should note (to myself) where these are and how to augment them this Fall. Below is a peek

We have boxwoods planted in both the front and the back of our house.  The ones in front were planted by the landscaper who installed our initial plantings and beds.  The ones in back were planted the following growing season and are near our kitchen window.  The first look I can find of them here on the blog was in April of 2019 when I pruned them up a little bit to be more ball-like .  By last Fall, these same Boxwoods (Green Velvet) had grown up and out and were starting to come together .   One of the things that I've missed out on (consistently) is working in evergreen trees into the landscape that I've been planting out back.  I added the Weeping Nootka Cypress this year to help, but I know that I can do more.  In terms of evergreen shrubs, we have a mixed report.  Both in terms of species but also in terms of making progress with evergreens.  In terms of inventory of evergreen shrubs....We have the aforementioned boxwoods.  We also have the pair of rhododendrons next to