Why I Oughta...

#21 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'add another ornamental maple' to the garden.  So far, this season, I've planted a pair of them:  a North Wind Korean Maple (to replace the Arctic Jade) and an Alpenglow Korean Maple under the large tree swing.  Both from Iseli Nursery. Over the years, I've moved towards those Korean Maples. Acer pseudosieboldaianum. They have performed well (aside from the Arctic Jade).  They're more cold-hardy than Acer palmatums or Acer shirasawanum or Acer japonicum. But, the pull of the traditional Japanese Maples is still strong.  When I came across an Orange Dream Japanese Maple that was priced...ummm....right, I brought it home.   Also note... I still think about the full-moon maples like this one , too.  Below are a few photos showing the foliage, the tree form and where I planted it (in the back edge of the "Kitchen Curved" bed). The leaves in Summer are green with red(ish) stems: The tree has a low-graft and is about ...

Back in May, I posted the details of a new (to me) Korean Maple tree that I planted in our backyard:  Alpenglow Korean Maple from Iseli Nursery and their Jack Frost Collection .   Previously, I have planted a pair of Korean Maples in the garden:  A Northern Glow Korean Maple in the Island Bed up front .  And an Arctic Jade Korean Maple in the backyard along the southside border . Despite having a great first season ( and fall show ), that tree suffered something and didn't come back this year .  Good to their Warranty, the fine folks at The Growing Place in Naperville honored their one-year guarantee and let me bring back the Arctic Jade carcass.  More on that tree in a future post. They didn't have any Arctic Jade trees in their inventory, so I decided to try something else as a replacement:  North Wind Korean Maple. That name sounds familiar, right?  (at least it did to me.) And that's because last November, I wrote a "Getting to Know" post...

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...