Why I Oughta...

Earlier this month, as part of a series of garden bed 'slices', I did some shrub exploration posts including the 'Lilac Replacement' section and the ' Northside Mixed Bed ' that kind of worked together.  They both required some upright evergreens, but the Lilacs needed to be transplanted from one section to the other.  Earlier this week, I got started by planting the upright evergreens - three Green Giant Thujas - in each section.  From there, I dug up and transplanted the four Lilac shrubs (2 Nocture, 2 Common) in the Northside bed. Before I did the planting, I removed some of the lower, but still large limbs on the Hackberry tree to make sure these were getting the most sun they could get in this spot.  Below is a look at the couple of cuts I made with my extension saw: Here's what the newly planted area looks like with three evergreens, four flowering shrubs, an existing scrub shrub and a small London Planetree (below): And, here's an annotated versi

A few seasons ago, I planted a juniper shrub in the nursery pot IN the ground in an attempt to begin to grow some 'pre-bonsai' material .  I planted one that way and one directly in the ground.  Turns out, the one in the ground has grown quite a bit while the one in the nursery container has suffered.   Earlier this Spring, I decided to abanondon that pre-bonsai idea and just DIRECTLY plant the evergreen shrubs in the beds - that includes this Bird's Nest Spruce that I need to do the same way .   While I was out planting the Green Giant Thujas, I decided to deal with the juniper -which...at the time I didn't know the species. I dug up the can and found this label that reads: Juniper Pfitzeriana Aurea . Here (below) is a look at the one that I left in the ground and the hole from this juniper shrub: And, here (below) is where I transplanted it:  next to the urn in the northside bed - which moved it a bit closer to the front/middle of the bed where it can provide some f

The season has begun.  With planting.  And, we're off to a strong start with six new trees going in:  Green Giant Thujas - Thuja standishii plicata.  Are these really trees?  According to the tag, they're categorized as trees, not shrubs (see the bottom photo for the tag), so I'm counting these as trees.  I put in three on the northside, three on the southside - all in the back. Here are the three on the southside: And, here (below) are the three on the northside.  I also transplanted the four lilacs over here, so you can see those in the photo below.  More on that in a separate post. Thuja standishii plicata - Arborvitae Green Giant. These are the first trees of the season with the last ones planted last Fall being the three London Planetrees that I intend to try to pleach . I haven't done a full accounting of what survived/didn't survive just yet, so I'm counting these as the: 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd, 73rd and 74th trees that we've planted across six growin

Yesterday, I showed the location of three upright evergreens - Green Giant Thujas - that work in part shade for our backyard.   Those were in what I'm calling the " Lilac Replacement " slice of the south bed.  Today, I'm showing the *approximate* placement of the three other that I bought:  these go on the northside mixed bed behind the London Plane tree .  There currently is a scrub shrub that I've left (for now), but requires pruning to get these two close to their spots.  Below is where I'm (currently) thinking of putting these down.  Now...tree roots may have me moving them a bit, but this is MOSTLY their locations: They'll be 'fronted' by four lilacs that I'll transplant here - in purple.  The Nocture on the left (they're shorter) and the common on the right (they get taller).  As I mentioned yesterday, it seems that planting THESE three is the first in a series of dominos that can fall:  clean up tree above/scrub shrub --> plant th

Welp, I did it:  I pulled the trigger and bought some Green Giant Arborvitae - Thuja standishii x plicata and brought them home.  I mentioned these a few times in the past month or so - including how I found these at one of the local Big Box nurseries near me - and how there were a few sizes (large and smaller).   In my summary list, I ended up thinking that I need nine upright evergreens - a combination of Thujas and Yews - with the first three of those nine going into the "Lilac Replacement" project .   I wanted to buy six right away - before they sell out - so I opted for the smaller (less expensive ones).  But, they're NOT *that* small -about four feet tall.  I put the nursery containers out in that " Lilac replacement " area and you can see them in the photo below: That's the approximate space that I'm intending to plant them.  First thing, though....dig up and transplant the four lilacs that are in that spot along the fence.   Also, a few of the H

Shrub exploration post number five (today) focuses on the north side bed that is bordered by the firewood rack on one side and our Dawn Redwood on the other .  This 'thinking out loud' exploration post on shrubs follows on the previous four including the lilac replacement, a mixed evergreen/dwarf hydrangea planting, the base on our espaliered Linden trees and just yesterday, a mixed privacy border by our fire pit area.   Today is a spot that I talked about in my original 'shrubs as my #1 priority' post in March that - per the plan - calls for a series of Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum .  Looking at that area in the plan, you'll see a row of Viburnum below: What is in this area right now?  Just a couple of trees and a scrub shrub that we inherited.  Orange oval = London Planetree.  Yellow oval = edge of our Dawn Redwood.  Red oval = Contorted Walkingstick tree.  You can see the big, scrub bush there in the middle, too. Knowing that I'm looking to transplant t

Fall shrub planting has included 8 Hicks upright Yews - in 2 locations so far.  First the pair for the (eventual) Block I topiary .  And then, last week a very SMALL hedge (in planning stage) of six more Yews along the south border in the backyard.   And a trio of dwarf Green Gem boxwoods .  Today's post is almost a year in coming but features two more upright Yews - planted close to the fence in one of our shade beds.   You can see one of the two #1 Yews that I planted in the ground in the photo below: I say that these Yews have been in the works for close to a year because it has taken me that long to complete the various steps that I needed to do in order to get these Yews in the ground. First, I suppose I should explain the WHY behind these yews, their location and what I'm trying to accomplish with this planting. I've posted before about learning from and gaining inspiration from Amy Fedele at Pretty Purple Door including her shared love of narrow, columnar trees .

 This is the third post showing off a newly acquired plant from this Spring's Morton Arboretum Plant Sale - the first two were when I added three more All Gold Japanese Forest Grasses and two Amber Queen Barrenworts .  Both of those were additional plants that I bought last year and added more this year.  I also bought a couple of plants that are net new to me:  both the type and the particular cultivar.  I'll also admit that this particular plant is OFF plan, but I saw it on one of Erin the Impatient Gardener's Instagram posts and added it to my list.  She talked about how it puts on a really nice Fall show and while it flowers, she grows it mostly for the foliage.  Here's one of her posts showing this off below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by ERIN 🌿 The Impatient Gardener (@impatientgardener) So, when I saw a version of it at the Morton Arboretum Arbor Day Sale, I bought a couple.  With the newly expanded beds and the "moved

One of the many plants that I bought at last Fall's plant sale at the Morton Arboretum was one (yes...I know.... it was a mistake to buy just one ) of these Chocoholic Black Snakeroot plants .  It is a shade plant and gets between four and five feet tall and 2.5' to 3' wide.  So, I planted it in a spot near the fence, thinking it could be one of the 'back' pieces of a layer puzzle where our plan calls for some shade-oriented hydrangeas.  Last fall, it has these beautiful white flowers on some long stalks, so I was hopeful when I bought it that it would add some new drama to this side of the yard.   Well, this Spring brings good news that this plant has come back for the first full season.  That makes the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale plants 2-for-2.  The Twinkle Toes Lungwort popped up a couple weeks ago and today, it is even flowering.  Note to self:  I should take some current photos.   Here's what the Chocoholic Black Snakeroot looks like today below.  Some pu

 A couple of weeks back, I posted a photo of a pretty unique hosta - called Praying Hands - that I bought at the Morton Arboretum Fall Plant Sale.  Praying Hands is 'unlike any other hosta' and was named "Hosta of the Year in 2011".  When I bought it, I wasn't sure where I was going to plant it, but new it needed shade and I wanted to put it in the spot where I could enjoy it.  I thought about planting it close to our house.  In this post showing off our Linden Cordon Espalier trees , you can see that I was thinking of planting it beneath those trees.   In fact, I did a 'shade study' of that location.  Here, below, is a photo from 1 pm when I was trying to see if the spot stayed in shade during the middle of the day.  You can see that it is, indeed, in the shade.  But, I'm pretty sure that the sun is in a lot lower spot (already) than it is during the heat of the Summer.  So, while the Lindens are in shade in September....I'm not sure they are in