Why I Oughta...

The little colony of Epimedium - which I have hoped would take off, but never have....is once again flowering with their little yellow "jester hat" flowers.  They are pretty neat.  They flowered like this in 2024 (and maybe last year?).   Below are a couple photos showing this groundcover in bloom in the shade.   I was hoping they'd fill-in some of this space, but they mostly just persist, in their existing footprint.  Maybe I haven't planted them close-enough together?  Nothing a little "stream" of sedges can't fix, right? 

Over the years, I've added two sets of Sun King Aralias to our backyard.  First, were six as part of a garden edit in the 'nook' garden in 2024 .  Last year, I planted three more on the opposite side of the garden .  In service of reptition and planting what works in the garden, I bought three more at this year's Morton Arboretum Plant sale.  See below for the tag/sign at the sale: When I brought them home, they were already good-sized plants.  See below for a look at the box of plants the day of the sale in my garage.  Compare the Sun Kings to the All Gold grasses right next to them: This Spring, the existing Sun Kings suffered some late-frost damage, so I held back on introducing these to the garden for weeks.  But, the time finally arrived. They were getting big and drying out. One of the things that I've been talking about over the years is what I've described as a 'hosta replacement' project on the northside.  I took this opportunity to remov...

Last year, I planted ten small white Polka Dot Plants (Hypoestes) in be-twix the Boxwoods underneath the Linden Espalier.   I sort-of bought them on a whim and stuck them in there because they do well in shade.  By August, I was declaring them a [gardening win ] because of how they brightened up a dark space in the garden and were mostly care-free.   At Wannemakers recently, I picked up a full flat of Confetti White Hypoestes Polka Dot plants.  That's 40 annuals.   See below for the flat and plant tag.  I wanted to use these as bedding plants (on my 2026 list) and talked about how planting these in a couple of spots in the backyard can help bring that notion of repetition - (which...ahem...improves garden legibility).   I haven't planted all forty just yet, but here's how I've started with them below.  I started with seventeen (17) under the Lindens.   Along the southside, I planted two little pockets of bright white....

Last year, I planted three Inferno Coleus in the corner patio bed and as they grew up (and out), I really loved them.  I called them a [garden win] specifically.   This year, I found some small quarts at Wannemakers of a new (to me) variety - Talavera Moondust Coleus.  See below for a few photos showing the tag and the speckled foliage.  It is easy to see why this one jumped off the bench, right? Here is how Ball Seed describes Talavera Moondust Coleus : Sun-tolerant varieties maintain color and foliage patterns in both sun and shade conditions. These late-flowering selections are tidy, non-bolting plants in the garden. Sun-tolerant.  Check. Maintains color and foliage pattern in sun.  Check. Late-flowering.  Check. Non-bolting.  Check.  What's not to love? Below is a photo of the back of the plant tag where they mention it is 'well-branching' and 'stunning' and 'rich'. Select Seeds adds these details in their product listing : Unsurpassed i...

I bought three All Gold Hakonechloa Japanese Forest Grasses at this year's Morton Arboretum annual plant sale.  I didn't buy much this year, but I wanted to add to the grasses that I already had in the garden.  Here, below, is a look at the three grasses in their one-gallon pots: About half-way back on the southside is the line of these grasses that sit on one of the curves.  I found a couple of gaps in the line and decided to fill them in with these new grasses.   The color difference between the old and new ones is distinct.  The new ones are far more green than gold.  

Yesterday, I posted a 'Getting to Know' post about a new (to me) Korean Maple:  Alpenglow Korean Maple .  This is an Iseli Nursery introduction that is part of their Jack Frost Collection that is cold-hardy down below most Japanese Maples.   #21 on my 2026 to-do list was to add another ornamental tree, so adding this Alpenglow Korean Maple checks that box.   This Alpenglow (with "merlot" foliage) is the first tree that have planted this year.   In 2024, I posted about adding a third Emperor 1 and included a drawing that highlighted the back-and-forth (and across the lawn) pattern for planting red-foliage ornamental maples in the backyard .  One of those spots that I called out in 2024 is where this tree is set to be planted. On the northside and sort-of tucked in *behind* the Tree Swing Northern Red Oak tree is a bed that was part of a previous "Garden Edit".  It is where this tree is going.  See below for the spot: A little bit fu...

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.  

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'...

The clumps of spreading (kind-of) groundcover named Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' are at their peak in early May this growing season.  After a period of foliage growth in April (that followed a seemingly mild Winter) on these, they're now in full bloom.  Purple/blue flowers standing tall.  In various pockets of the garden including these three clusters in the 'nook' garden bed along the front edge of that border. You can see them below.  These went in as part of a 'garden edit' in 2024 .   There were more back a few years, but I think that some of them were impacted by Winter 2024/2025.   #20 on my 2026 to-do list this year is to 'keep going with groundcover' .  Moments like this with Ajuga are a good reminder why that's a good idea.  

All three of the treeform Doublefile Viburnum shrubs are in bloom right now in the garden and they're putting on a pretty good show with their white flowers and horizontal branching.  Standing tall on top of that 'treeform' base, they look really good right now. I've posted about these in-bloom over the years.  Here's a post from May 2024 .  Here they are in late May 2025 - last year .  These are a bit further ahead than the past two years as they began blooming at the end of April.   Below are photos of all three of the treeform versions.  First up is the largest one and the shrub that is closest to the house.  It has branches that cascade down and out.  Here's a close-up of those lace-cap flower clusters below.  They start as tight balls and open-up into creamy-white petals.   Next up is the second one along the same fenceline, just a little bit further back.  This one is slightly smaller and not as far along, but still ...