Why I Oughta...

About a month ago, I posted about how I planted a small four-pack of Nicotiana Saratoga in the front of the sideyard cut flower bed.  They were plugs.  Tiny.  Look back here to see them barely visible in the photos .   The plugs went in the ground in mid-May.  Now, two months later, they're thick, full and loaded with blooms.  See below for an updated photo of these four small annuals: #10 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'keep going with annuals' . These are a big "garden win" for me in 2026. Something I should look to replicate in future seasons.  Instead of just four, I could have planted 16 of these in front of the dahlias all along this bed.   Here, below, is a before/after animation: Note to future Jake:  Plant these in more spots next year.  They are staying short and compact.  

This is a [garden diary] update on the kitchen curved bed - in particular the Anemone Lucky Charm that has been growing the past few years in between the peonies and the Astilbes/Matcha Ball Fern Leaf Spirea.   Back in May, I planted a dwarf Blue Spruce Globosa (On Standard) in the bed and I've REALLY LOVED how that has turned out.  It has added color, texture and some shape and really pops in the spot it was planted.  It is early in the season, but if I was declaring winners/losers for the year, this would be one of my biggest "Garden Wins" of 2026.   But, this post isn't about the conifer.  It is about the groundcover flowering perennial that was disturbed when I planted the tree/shrub.   Below are a couple of photos:  First is the current state of the Lucky Charm Anemone followed by the previously-posted 'at the time of planting' comparison collage.  The Anemone has grown in quite a bit, but is currently NOT growing inside the p...