Why I Oughta...

Ten days ago, I posted a pizza oven construction update where I talked about the framing that I attached (with concrete anchors) to the block stand and poured hearth .  I used treated lumber to create a ledge and added tile-backer board to support the countertop.  That was in-preparation of the counter being installed.  Recently, the new soapstone counter (or landing) was installed.  A few photos showing the finished stone slab are below.  The soapstone extends beyond the edge of the oven enclosure and will still be 'proud' when the brick is attached. 

It seems like we're getting BOTH a slightly delayed Fall color cycle and it is also amp'd-up on some things a bit more this season, too.  One of them that's 'amp'd-up' is the tree swing tree:  A mature Northern Red Oak tree.  This large tree has historically behaved in different ways each season.  Some years, it holds its leaves through the Winter, while other years it drops everything quickly.  But, most seasons we get a very limited 'fall show' with muted browns. This year, things are a little different.  The tree is bright like a flame with orange leaves blazing against the blue sky.  See the photo below: A few things to note in this photo: 1. There are still a bunch of green trees around. 2. There are also some yellow trees (The Black Walnut trees). 3. The other large mature Red Oak tree is way more green than this one. Compare the state of this tree (orange leaves) to the same tree on November 9th, 2021 (4 years ago) when it was full of GREEN l...

Red centers with orange tips on the deeply cut leaves on our Arctic Jade Korean Maple tree continue to be the star of the "Fall Show" in our backyard.  I posted a photo of this tree showing its colors a few days ago and the tree continues to color-up.  Here, below, is a look at some of the colors on the leaves right now: Previously, I posted about this tree and included a description that compared the Arctic Jade Korean Maple to the Full Moon Autumn Maple - which is a Japanese Maple.  Acer shirasawnum.  One that I've long admired and a big part of why I bought the Arctic Jade.  Not to mention the fact that it is a Korean Maple that is a more cold tolerant than the Acer shirasawnum .   I planted this tree in the front of a curved bed in our backyard as a (sort-of) replacement for the Flowering Japanese Cherry Tree that died last year.  It went in the ground in June , so this is our first Fall with the tree.   Previously, I planted a sm...

Earlier this Summer, I planted our second Korean Maple tree - an Arctic Jade - in our backyard.  I wrote a little bit about this tree in June and talked about the fall colors.  In that post , I included this (partial) description: " In autumn, the foliage is an impressive canvas for the dazzling fusion of orange and red tones. "  So, with Autumn here, how is the tree shaping up?  Here, below is a photo showing the current state of this dwarf tree: I spy orange, red, yellow and greens.  Dazzling?  I'd say so.  Look at those red centers with orange edges on the foliage.  Also...a note about the Hakonechloa Forest Grasses on the right side of his photo above.  I'd say they look pretty, pretty, pretty good together, don't they?  

The last time that I checked in on the backyard pizza oven build, I showed off the full enclosure and roof and talked about how I had some success with a lower-temperature bake .  This was in late September and the oven - at that time - looked like this below.   From the front, you can see the block base and how I had made a temporary hearth landing out of a 2x6 that is supported by some firebrick cut-offs.   That was (obviously) temporary, but it has taken me a while to figure out what I wanted to do there. We seem to have landed on installing a hearth/landing ledge of Soapstone that will stick out from the front of the oven about 10-12 inches.  That will give me a little ledge/counter to work on before/after sliding the pies in/out of the oven.   But, in order to install that ledge, some permanent support needed to be installed.  Based on how I poured the hearth and placed the oven, I left myself four-or-five inches of space to build on top...

This year, I planted three small Inferno Coleus annuals in the newly (this year) expanded bed at the corner of our back patio .  This was the second year of growing this red foliage plant as a bedding annual.  Last year, I put them in the front yard island bed.  By August, I was declaring them a big success as they grew into big mounds of bright color that contrasted with everything green back there.  #6 on my 2026 to-do list was to grow 'more coleus as bedding plants' , so this was in service of that goal.  Last Fall, I wrote this "In Praise of Coleus As A Bedding Plant" post and this year, I've become even more of a fan.   Below is a look at the current state of this coleus.  I let it flower and 'go to seed' late in the season after pinching off the blooms for months earlier this Summer.  The color is striking: For Fall 2025 and the 2026 season, I'd like to remember to do a few things: 1.  Expand this bed this Fall using the 'lazy b...

I planted a pair of Silver Swirl Snowflake Dusty Miller annuals in the newly-created pizza oven bed back in early June.  I had designs of using these for cut flower arrangements.  But, the rabbits had other plans.  Over the course of the Summer, the (dang!) rabbits gnawed at these and ground them down to stubs.  They never got off to any-sort-of-start and the foliage was chronically short. But, recently...something has happened and the rabbits seem to have moved-on and began to leave these alone.  Now, the strap-y foliage is about 4" tall and with a little bit of watering, I'm thinking I can eek some of this white material out before the end of the season.   I'd like to try these again next year, but they won't be in the ground.  I have a different plan for them.  

The star of our early Fall garden?  It is clearly the Lucky Charm Anemone in the 'kitchen curved' bed in the backyard.  I've posted about this same 'early Fall' or 'late Summer' flower show over the years including last year when I showed it in late August .  Or in 2023 when I posted (again) in Late August .   I posted a month ago when this first started blooming in late August of this year.   This photo below is posted on the very last day of September, so more than a month later than the past two years.  I'd describe this as being 'peak bloom' right now with the top of the long flower stems being FULL of pink petals with yellow centers.  I've been using cuts of this flower in arrangements for the past few months and as the petals drop, what is left behind is a sort-of chartreuse 'ball' on top of the thin, wire-y stem that I can also use in the final few Dahlia arrangements in the next few weeks.  This is another 'garden win'...

All the Oakleaf Hydrangea-related attention that I've focused on over the past year-or-so has been on the cluster of Alice Oakleaf Hydrangeas up in the 'kitchen curved' bed that is close to the house.  But, I also have a few other Oakleaf Hydrangeas in other parts of the garden including a small grouping in the 'nook' area behind the Weeping Nootka Cypress tree.   In May 2022, I planted a pair of Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangeas alongside one of the transplanted Alice Oakleaf Hydrangeas .   This post shows the location of the three of them.   Last year, I covered these when they were in bloom and when they turned bright red in the Fall .   Last week, I posted a photo of the new (to me) flowers on the Japanese Sun King Aralias .  In the photo below, you can see those same Sun King's on the bottom left and one of the Oakleaf Hydrangeas right behind it (in the middle of the photo).   I think this tall one is an Alice Oakleaf....

The last time that I posted about our backyard pizza oven was earlier this Summer in Late May when I showed a long burn in the brick chamber .  But, that doesn't mean progress hasn't been made on completing the build.  Despite some setbacks and the heat of the Summer, I've moved along with my DIY build and have been working to build the enclosure.   That requires walls and a roof.  Both are underway.  But, the photo below shows a milestone:  one of the sidewalls is now completely enclosed.  The corners are built from concrete blocks and the middle section is now covered in fire-resistant concrete board.   I will post the details of the enclosure build (including the concrete blocks) and the roof.  The next step that I'm facing is to close in the other three faces.  Then, pour in some loose insulation.  And, finally...finish the roof.  

One of the shade-tolerant foliage shrubs (is it a shrub?) that continues to be a standout in our backyard is Japanese Golden Spikenard - also called Sun King Aralia.  I have a drift of them in the far back 'nook' behind the small Weeping Nootka Cypress tree.  And this year, I planted three more on the other side of the garden - in hopes of bringing some of that sweet 'garden repetition' to the backyard .   I called them 'foliage' plants because that's what they're grown for:  bright green, almost-tropical-looking foliage that thrives in low-light conditions.  But, for the first time...I now have discovered that they also FLOWER.   See below for the little cluster of flowers that has appeared out the top of the canopy:  That's new (to me).  But, wait...there's more (than flowers).  Via the Missouri Botanical Garden listing : Sun King’ is a golden-leaved cultivar that features a large rounded clump of golden yellow compound leaves whi...

2025 is the year of the massive hydrangea flop in our garden.  All of our hydrangeas (panicle ones) are flopping more significantly than they've ever flopped before.  Historically, the Vanilla Strawberry Panicle hydrangea out front of our porch 'flop' most years.  But, I can string them up and keep them (mostly) off the boxwoods.   The Limelight Hydrangeas on the side of our house have NEVER flopped.  But, this year?  Big time floppers. And, even weirder...the Little Lime (dwarf) hydrangeas in our backyard ?  They're FLOPPING this year, too.  See below for a look at the Little Lime hydrangeas flopping over with big flower heads: I'm not sure what the reason is for this:  a wet spring?  A colder Spring?  Something happened to create more leggy (and less supportive) stems so much so that EVERY HYDRANGEA (not Oakleaf) is flopping this season.  

I planted some small pot-grown Wichita Blue (upright) Junipers in our backyard in early May .  Today, four-months-later, all three of them seem to have handled the heat of the Summer and aren't in distress.  That's good.  I watered them pretty heavily this Summer and they're (partially) protected from the Sun - being planted under the tree swing Northern Red Oak.   They get shade in the morning and late afternoon.  But, are full Sun in the middle of the day.   That seems (*knock on wood*) to be working for them as there is little brown'ing-out happening with the needles.  See below for what these three look like after being planted for four months in our garden: To date, I haven't planted the rest of the bed around them, but this is my inspiration :  using Stachys Hummelo in a mass planting.   Maybe that'll be a #Fall2025 project.  Or, something for next year. 

Earlier this season, I planted three small Inferno Coleus plants in the small bed that sits at the corner of our back patio .  I had grown Inferno in the front yard last year and wanted to grow it again.  Have a look at the photo below - showing the late-Summer view of what started as three small plants.  I wanted to grow more coleus as bedding annuals in the beds , so I'd call this a success.  (#6 on my 2025 to-do list this year .) I'll grow Inferno again next year.  Maybe in multiple spots - as a form of 'repetition' to help improve 'legibility' with some colorful annuals.   Last Fall, I expanded this bed a bit.  I'll look to grow it even more this Fall with my 'lazy bed' method using cardboard, compost and municipal biosolids.  

There is a season for every bloom and with our small drift of Lucky Charm Anemone, that season is "late Summer".  Here it is (below) in very late August when the first blooms are just coming on and opening up.  This will be an explosion of color for the next month - all the way right up until the first frost.  I'm not sure which I like more:  the open blooms or the closed, grey/purple-grey closed ball-like buds before they open up.   

It may be hard to see in the photo below, but the Pagoda Dogwood tree (a native tree) that we have in our backyard had a big 'leap' year in terms of growth.  The past few seasons, I've been doing what I call 'selective pruning' of this tree where I shorten the length of each of the limbs that radiate out from the apical meristem (or trunk).   Our tree seems to want to grow almost bush-like or shrub-like.  A big puff-ball of foliage.  But, I want it to get taller, hence the pruning back of the limbs.  But, I've learned long ago, that you can't stimulate a young, non-mature tree to grow taller by simply pruning back all of the lower limbs.  The tree needs foliage to grow.  That whole 'solar panel effect' - is how the tree collects energy via its leaves.   So, what have I been doing?  Just pruning the tips.  Take the final foot-or-so off the ends.  Leave the rest. And, the tree seems to respond well to that seasonal pruning....

The last time I checked in on our compost bins was back in July when the 'storage' bin was steaming from decomposition of grass clippings and wood chips .  I let the lawn get pretty long, so I had to bag-up a couple of cuts-worth of grass.  That meant that I needed to balance the bin out with some wood chips.  Since then, we've continued to add kitchen waste to the bin and I've been adding garden waste, too.   I also dumped a bunch more grass clippings in recently. How do the bins look? There's been some compaction in all three bins with the middle one seeing the largest voids created.  Take a look below to see the three bins as of late August 2025: Here is April 2025's view of the bins .   You can see the nursery pots that I've stuck on the top of the 'finishing bin' (on the right) have dropped a little bit.  And, that the middle bin has that large void about 1/3rd of the way down.  And, the 'storage bin' (on the left) is actively decom...

Back along the fence, behind the (now in-place) pizza oven is a Cascade Hops vine.  I planted this Hops vine in the Summer of 2021 and trellis'd it up a year later .   At that time, this was a pretty-much "full sun" spot, but the vine didn't fruit.  Then, last year, I put up the pizza oven and suddenly this vine is buried behind it.  Mostly in shade. Did that bother it?  It doesn't appear to have.  Why do I think that?  The vine has rambled up and around the oven.  Crawling up and around everything in its way.  And...when I was out in the garden this weekend, I noticed bright green fruits on the vine.  We.Have.Hops. They're amble'ing thru the grasses: I'm going to cut some of them off and see what kind of vase-life they have as I think they might be neat to see in arrangements.  

In the Spring of 2024, I did work on a number of what I was calling then "garden edits".   One of them was focused on the plantings around the base of the tree swing tree.  I moved out all of the All Gold Hakonechloa Macra grasses and relocated the band of Summer Beauty Alliums back closer to the trunk.  I was set to add a full border of the straight species Hakonechloa Macra grasses , but haven't gotten around to it it.   But...the alliums?  They look good.  Better than good.  Here, below is a photo showing the alliums ringing the Red Oak tree: See that lone Japanese Forest Grass?  Imagine a mass planting of them in-front of the Alliums.  That's what's remaining here.  

In the Summer of 2023, I planted a pair of Snow Queen Oakleaf Hydrangeas in between some of the Green Giant Thujas along the fenceline in the backyard.  Since then...both of them were ravaged by the (dang!) rabbits.  One of them - the one closer to the house - never came back.  But the other one - a little further back - survived the past two Winters.  Despite the rabbit pressure.  Has it flowered since I planted it?  No.  There's been no "Old Wood" left after the rabbits get to it.  But, that isn't stopping it from putting on some new - and much needed - growth this Summer. See below for current state of this shade-tolerant flowering shrub:  From the looks of them in this July 2023 photo , I'd say that this one isn't quite back to the size it was when I first planted it, but getting close.   Also...note the chicken wire attached to the fence behind this shrub.  More on that soon.