Why I Oughta...

What's better than *some* sedum groundcover?  MORE sedum ground cover is, well...the answer we have on hand.  As part of #FallPlanting, I added three quart-sized Stonecrop groundcover plants to the front yard.  I put two down by the sidewalk IB2DWs (extended) and one on the southside by the patch of Angelina Sedum close to the front porch. For keeping track of to-do's and what-have-you, I'm saying these 2 plants go toward 3 goals:   #2 (IB2DWs extended), #3 (plant and improve front porch bed) and #17 (keep going with Groundcover).  This is a variegated sedum - you can see the sign above.  And, it was jumping off the nursery bench to me at the end-of-season sale at The Growing Place.  Here's what Gardenia has to say (screenshot below): Below is a look at the one in the front porch bed: And here's one of two down by the sidewalk: I'm posting this in November 2023, but I did this dividing and transplanting in mid-October 2023.

Last month, I posted details of my 3rd Ajuga variety:  Burgundy Glow.  I found one at Lowe's and tucked it into the IB2DWs bed near the driveway .  In that post , I looked at the tri-color foliage and how it is a little bit slower-grower than 'Chocolate Chip'.  Well...it tuns out that I'm (now) planting a second one.  That was a gift of sorts. Back earlier this Summer, the kids made Fairy Gardens.  One of the plants that one of the girls bought - but LEFT IN THE CONTAINER - is an Ajuga Burgundy Glow.  Here below are a few photos - including how this thing had roots coming out the bottom big-time: I carefully peeled the container away and decided to stick it into the backyard - right off the patio, by the screened porch door - hoping it will fill in the space and hug the patio.  See below for the size: More groundcover.  More, indeed.   I'm posting this in November 2023, but I did this dividing and transplanting in mid-October 2023.

At some point in (I think) 2022, I bought and planted a Japanese Anemone x Hybrid 'Pamina' from Northwind Perennial Farm up in Wisconsin and planted it in a spot on the northside of our backyard.  Turns out, I'm pretty certain that it was the WRONG SPOT.  For this plant.  Too much shade.  You can see the sign at the top of this post that calls for "Part Sun".  It goes on to say:   Beautiful, easy to grow plants, flowering late in the season in a burst of bright pink.  Lovely in a partially shaded site.  Divide in Spring.  This plant does great with grasses and interplanted with Stachys 'Hummelo'. "Partially shaded" site is/was my problem, I think.   What do I have to look forward to - if it succeeds?  From Bluestone Pernnials comes these details - including that it is a "RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner : One of the most compact Anemone, the elegant bright rose-pink blossoms of broad overlapping petals surround whorls of bright yellow stamen

Originally planted in a container (pre-bonsai), then first transplanted into the ground in April of 2022 only to be moved up to the Kitchen window curved bed in May of 2022 , my first Bird's Nest Spruce (dwarf) has not lived a good life.  Then...it was gnawed at by the dang rabbits and fought for life the past two growing seasons. Today?  It has been overtaken by the Oakleaf Hydrangeas that are planted behind this small spruce shrub.  See below for a look at the leaves of the hydrangeas and the spruce, evergreen shrub: That means that this dwarf conifer is looking for its fourth spot in three years.  I dug it up and transplanted it over to the northside of the lot, behind some hostas (that need to be removed) and in front of the Hops vine that is trellis'd up the fence.  See below for the current state of my first Bird's Nest Spruce dwarf conifer: I'm posting this in early November, but I moved this shrub back in early/mid October of 2023. 

A couple of seasons ago (Summer 2021), I planted three Allium Serendipity in the IB2DWs bed after being influenced by Erin the Impatient Gardener .  I've had Allium Summer Beauty in the garden since the beginning and Serendipity felt like a nice improvement - at the time.  I mostly just ignored them.  Until this Summer.   When I noticed that they were, indeed, an improvement over Summer Beauty. Why? They bloomed a little bit later.  And for MUCH LONGER .   Fall is the season for dividing perennials, so I picked up my shovel and got busy. Here's the before - two nice-sized clumps of Allium Serendipity: I took those two and made five total plants.  Why five?  A hedge, of course.  I split one in two - in the hopes that those two larger clumps had a better chance of survival.  If I killed the smaller clumps by dividing them too late, or not watering them in enough, or having them heave this Winter...at least I still had what I started with:  two clumps.   I put three of the Allium

I posted the details and a photo of planting a Matcha Ball Ash Leaf Spirea shrub in the front porch beds in mid-October .  When I planted that one, I also...planted a second one:  but in back.  I decided to tuck it in the 'kitchen window curved bed', sort-of by where my bird-feeding pole lives.   That bed has some good foliage and good texture contrasts going on - the Amsonia, Oakleaf Hydrangeas and Astilbes create a nice combination.  This small-size (dare I saw dwarf) fern-like shrub adds a pop of color (yellow/chartreuse) and some lightness of foliage to this spot. The shrub is already showing some buds on the limbs - that I presume are set of next year.  But..you never can tell what kind of stress these nursery plants go through that might alter their normal growth cycle.   I planted this in mid-October, but posting it in early November 2023.  

The fun of evergreens as part of my Fall Planting Sprint comes to an end today with three Japanese 'Soft Touch' Holly.  Named Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch' - these are a little different than most of the Hollys that I've become familiar with over the years.  The name is the big tell - they're not full of sharp points.  I came across a few of these 'larger-than-one-gallon' nursery pots on a bench at the Orange big box store and quickly whipped out my phone.  Here's what the foliage looks like before planting: The page from NC State had me sold enough to put them in my cart.  Here's how they talk about Soft Touch Japanese Holly : Soft Touch Japanese Holly is a dense, mounded, evergreen shrub with a moderate growth rate. Unlike its parent, it will reach a relatively short height of 3 feet and has soft-textured leaves without the sharp spines typically found on Japanese Holly. Soft Touch Japanese Holly glossy green leaves also have an interesting silver

I added three small Green Velvet Boxwoods to the middle of the pair of recently-espalier'd Dogwood trees along the side of the garage.  The bed has been an afterthought (to date) and features a bunch of random hostas, Ostrich Ferns and a few heucheras.  There were no shrubs.  There wasn't much 'structure' there.  The photo at the top shows the 'after'.  The photo below shows the 'before'. I've moved that big hosta OUT and removed some of the ferns, too.   I planted these in mid-October, but posting it in early November 2023. 

Yesterday, I posted a photo and details of the first (of two) Blue Star Junipers that I planted next to the back stoop.   Today, is the second of those - this time planted on the north side by the electrical meter, next to one of the Disneyland Roses. You can see it below - this is a spot that gets full sun and little water...so I'm thinking it may be happy here. Posting in November, but planted in mid-October 2023.

More dwarf conifers.  That's the story for today (and maybe tomorrow) as I've planted a pair of Blue Star Junipers - Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' to two different parts of our garden.  The first is pictured above and is in the north-side back stoop bed along with a Spring Grove Ginko, that big flush of Angelina Sedum and a Geranium. My thought here is that by adding some blue - I'd get a nice view of the garden color trinity of green (ginkgo), blue (Blue Star Juniper) and chartreuse (Angelina Sedum) working together.  And...that this Blue Star Juniper might fight back against the sedum and they'd play nice together. What is a Blue Star Juniper?  From NC State : 'Blue Star' Singleseed Juniper is a cultivar that is a dwarf conifer, an evergreen, and slow-growing shrub that may reach from 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide. The shrub forms a compact, dense mound. The leaves are blue-gray, awl-shaped needles with a white band that overlap and are densel

Last Fall, I planted a singular cypress conifer called Lemon Thread False Cypress in the backyard by the Hornbeam trees .  It has mostly just gotten along without much attention, so I decided to add something similar to the front yard - IB2DWs - Conifer Garden:  a Golden Mop False Cypress.  Chamaecyparis pisifera.  They're similar...but I'm learning they're different in some ways.  From Oregon State  University, I'm seeing that Golden Mop is a 'true dwarf' : ‘Golden Mop’ - it is a mutation of ‘Filifera Aurea’ and a true dwarf, to 1 m, with more intense yellow. I've planted in a full sun, so I'm sure hoping that we get some of that 'intense yellow' and based on what I'm reading (below) in Midwest Garden Tips, I think we have a winner with Golden Mop.  From MGT: The dramatic foliage of the ‘Golden Mop’ is bright yellow green with a feathery, almost stringy appearance. The glowing gold foliage creates a lovely accent to deeper green conifers.

I've long admired the Purple Smoke Trees that I see in gardens and landscapes.  I've thought about planting one for a number of years, but each time I come across one, I opt against it.  Until...this week.  When I found a 'Royal Purple' Smoke Tree at the end-of-season sale at the orange big box store.  It was too good of a price and I've been wanting to add some red to contrast the newly planted dwarf conifers in my new IB2DWs Conifer Garden. So, I bought it and stuck it in the ground closer to the sidewalk and pretty far back in the bed.   You can see it in the photo below:  Is this thing a tree?  Or a shrub?  It is referenced either way, but I'm calling it a tree - mostly due to the name.  The tag says 'shrub', but... This becomes the last tree of 2023 and...amazingly...the 21st planted for the year.   As for keeping score on a few fronts, let's first start with the Fall Planting Tally.

 What's better than two Baby Blue Spruce trees?  If you answered "Three Baby Blue Spruce Trees", you'd be correct.  This time, I've added the small (container-grown) dwarf conifer to the bed near the kitchen window in back.  You can see it in the photo below.  This goes towards my #1 item on my 2023 list - evergreens. But, it also checks some of the box on #18 - dealing with the 'kitchen window curved bed' as this is planted in front of the Weeping White Spruce and to the west of the Espalier'd Greenspire Lindens. As for keeping score on a few fronts, let's first start with the Fall Planting Tally.

A week back, I shared photos and details of the first of three Baby Blue Spruce trees that have gone in our yard as part of my Fall Planting Sprint.  They were all 7# container-grown trees and are small to start - somewhere shy of 24" tall from tip to rootflare.  I planted the first one in my new Conifer Garden - IB2DWs extended.  And, I matched it with the second one on the other end of that spread.  See below for a look at #2 Baby Blue.  This is planted closer to the Bald Cypress.  And...it is planted 'high' on purpose.   As for keeping score on a few fronts, let's first start with the Fall Planting Tally.

Upright evergreen tree. Those are magic words to me. When I came across a new (to me) conifer tree named Montrose Charm, I pulled out my phone and dug around.  Trying to figure out if this would work in my new conifer garden IB2DWs extended. After some hemming-and-hawing, I brought it home and planted it along the back border, sort of next-to the Ginkgo tree that is up there .  Here it is post-planting. The Montrose Charm is a "Christmas Tree Form", but gets tall and skinny - with time.  From Dutchman Tree Farms - they expect the tree to get six feet wide at maturity and have this to say :  This tall narrow columnar tree has needles that are light green and very short. The White Spruce ‘Montrose Charm’, once established, is cold hardy and drought resistant. This columnar tree is perfect for landscaping, borders, small spaces, and erosion control. I've said it before, but I love that narrow, columnar tree form.  Here's a look at a mature version of the Montrose Charm

All the same facts, details and situation from yesterday's post showing how I planted a Weeping Norway Spruce IB2DWs persist and stay the same for this - a second Weeping Norway Spruce - that I planted in the new conifer garden closer to the sidewalk - IB2DWs - extended.  See the photo at the top showing the location of this weeping, dwarf conifer and the Baby Blue Spruce tree that I previously planted here. As for keeping score on a few fronts, let's first start with the Fall Planting Tally.

Conifers Should Come First.  Or, if not first, one should attempt to make up for lost time when you can.  This is the second dwarf conifer tree and third dwarf conifer overall that I've planted in the past week.  All of which are IB2DWs.   Like the Baby Blue Spruce trees that I bought at 50% off, I bought a pair of Weeping Norway Spruce trees.  This post is about the one that is going in our established IB2DWs bed. Below are a few photos showing the pre-planting details: This came as a ball-and-burlap tree from the orange big box store.  I've had these before, but I've always removed as much of the burlap as possible.  This time, I'm going the opposite way.  All I did was cut and remove the twine, but left the burlap in place.  I'm *pretty sure* that these might be air layered trees as whenever I remove the burlap form them, the root system is pretty sparse.   I stuck this tree right in front of the All Gold grasses about half-way back in the bed.  I'm planning

What does my IB2DWs bed lack?  Well...to be fair, it lacks a lot.  But what I'm (mostly) talking about are conifers.  Evergreens.  Remember... Conifers Should Come First .  I've failed at that.  But, I can make up for it, I hope.  My #2 priority was to plant evergreens IB2DWS.  And my #1 was to add more evergreens .  I've started by posting about one of two Baby Blue Spruce trees that I planted in the extended IB2DWs bed.  Today, I'm sharing that I planted a Bird's Nest Spruce in the currently planted IB2DWs bed.  You can see it above - it is to the west of the Cat's Pajamas Nepeta and a few feet set back from the driveway. It was five bucks.  What's not to like about that?  I have a Bird's Nest Spruce in the back that was devoured by rabbits.  I've moved it once and need to move it again.   Here's the container - Bird's Nest Spruce - Picea abies 'Nidiformis' - which NC State calls a 'dwarf needled evergreen shrub' .   As for

Another day, another set of plants going in as part of my #FallPlanting sprint.  This time...featuring a set of ornamental grasses that I've seen other talk about:  Muhlenbergia reverchonii 'Undaunted' - or Ruby Muhly Grass.  At the top of this post is a look at one of the small quart-sized grasses that I brought home.  And below is a photo of the tag at The Growing Place - where they call this grass a "show stopper'.   Across Instagram, I've seen a few gardeners that I follow post photos of the plumes of these Muhly grasses - especially in the sunset.  At $5 a piece, the sale price had me trapped.   When I began to get them planted, I was struck by how dense and mature their root systems were - see below for what I'd consider a root-bound grass: I opted to put them right at the end of the current boardwalk - two in back, one out front to create a small grass colony.  See below for two photos:  one from the yard looking back at the boardwalk.  The other fro