Why I Oughta...

I planted two large, mass plantings of Titan Halo Annual Vinca in our front porch bed and down in the the front of the Island bed in our front yard.  76 + 36.  That left eight remaining plugs that I decided to plant at the front of the IB2DWs bed along the driveway.  You can see the eight small flowering annuals taking their spot in the mulch bed below: Repetition, right?  This year, I went with two large mass plantings.  Maybe next year, I'll add a third and really plant up the IB2DWs bed with the same annuals in the other two. Like everything else I've posted recently, this photo is a month old.  

Yesterday, I showed photos of the 76 Titan Blue Lavender Halo Vinca annuals that I added to our front porch bed where I hope they'll grow into a carpet of color.  In service of the notion of 'repetition', I opted to plant the same annuals down in the island bed to try to carry that same color further forward and bring those two plantings together visually.   I went with 36 vinca down there.  Below are a few photos showing how the 36 Titan Blue Lavender Vinca are planted in between the Red Wizard Sun Coleus and the existing Ajuga groundcover that abuts the sidewalk.  First up are side-views: And, here below is the curb-view: Last year, I didn't have luck with the flowering annuals in this bed, so I'm hoping that these Titan Vinca will fare better.  

Number 19 on my 2026 to-do list was to upgrade the stumpery.  That means improving the hard features (like fountain, stumps, bench, etc), but also the plantings.  I wrote in the list:  The thing that I need to add here are even more Autumn Ferns. See #15. I have some Autumn Ferns and LOVE them. More is better. #15 is "Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new."  Those two items - repetiton + Stumpery plantings collided when I found a bunch of quart-sized Autumn Ferns at the nursery.  They were nice-sized and healthy looking: I ended up buying seven of them for the Stumpery.  I spaced them out behind the front row of All Gold Hakonechloa grasses and inter-planted with some of the existing Crested Surf Japanese Painted Ferns.  This area was mostly blank. There are two small Autumn Ferns that came back around here , so these seven make it nine for this area.  See below for the seven new ferns planted in the bed.  The stumps for th...

I bought three All Gold Hakonechloa Japanese Forest Grasses at this year's Morton Arboretum annual plant sale.  I didn't buy much this year, but I wanted to add to the grasses that I already had in the garden.  Here, below, is a look at the three grasses in their one-gallon pots: About half-way back on the southside is the line of these grasses that sit on one of the curves.  I found a couple of gaps in the line and decided to fill them in with these new grasses.   The color difference between the old and new ones is distinct.  The new ones are far more green than gold.  

Last year, I planted three Nepetas that were new (to me) named Chartreuse on the Loose down near the pizza oven in our backyard.  By Summertime, they had grown-in and were re-blooming .  In that post from July 2025, I wrote: I've mentioned that I need to continue to remind myself to add more of WHAT IS WORKING instead of adding net-new stuff. But, these are both a reminder that sometimes new things can be great. But, now that I see them working, I have put them in the category of 'more of this plant because it is working'.... Repetition comes into play here, too. A few pops of this - along with my other 'backbone plants' (Hakonechloa, Alliums, Astilbes and Stachys) create that idea of 'repetition' - leading to...you guessed it: increased legibility. I also wrote (earlier this year) in my 2026 to-do list a few items worth referencing right now: #4 - Plant up the Pizza Oven Bed and #15 - Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new.   With t...

Yesterday, I posted a photo showing the six new Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' plugs that I stuck in the front of the border by the little colony of Hellebores in our backyard.  I talked about how I wanted to 'keep going' on groundcover this year mostly with a mix of Ajuga and Carex.  Why?  Because those are the two groundcovers that I've had the most success with over the years.  I also should list sedum because a few of those have worked, too.  #1 on my 2026 to-do list was to 'stop fighting nature' and #15 was focus on repetition vs net-new things and #20 was to 'keep going' on groundcover.  When you combine all three of those things what do you get?  The answer:  more Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip'.   There's plenty of reasons to shop at your local nursery over a big box store parking lot temporary nursery, but the prices on their groundcover plugs is NOT one of them.  Thanks to the folks at the Home Depot, you can buy a tray of six Ajuga plugs...

Something that I included on my 2026 to-do list (#15) is to focus on repetition vs. planting net-new things.  I wrote this: 15. Stay focused by using the concept of Repetition vs. new.   I had this same one in my 2025 list . This is a reminder to future Jake who is staring at the tables at the nursery this Summer. Stop. Focus. More of what we have, not wandering diversity. See #1, #3, #8. That means: Sun Kings, Autumn Ferns, Ajuga, Sedums, Carex, Autumn Moor Grasses, Hakonecholas, Astilbes, Nepeta and annuals. For shrubs, it means Viburnums. Well...this here is 'Future Jake' and I'm here to report on what I came home with from the annual Morton Arboretum Plant Sale. And the report contains good news: I bought more of things I already have including Sun Kings and Hakonechloa Grasses. Below are some photos of the plant sale signs and the trios of one-gallon containers that I bought of each kind: These are the third collection of Sun Kings that I'll have in the backyar...

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...

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'...

Back in May, I planted three small quart-sized containers of a new (to me) Nepeta named Chartreuse on the Loose .  I put them in near the timbers of the retaining wall for the pizza oven that is a part-sun spot.  It gets shade all morning, then full sun from late morning (as the sun comes over our house) until mid-afternoon (when the sun hides behind the canopy of the large trees in our backyard).   When they were planted, the three plants looked small.  And far apart from each other .   Now, four-plus-months later, here is what those same three small plug-like plants look like (below):  a colony of Nepeta. Back in the original post , I included this plant description from Walter's Garden on this variety of Nepeta: 'Chartreuse on the Loose' is a perennial with season long interest perfect for lining the front of the border. The foliage allows for a full three seasons of interest with bright chartreuse yellow leaves. Clusters of lavender blue flow...

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...

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.  

A little over a month ago, I planted a pair of small quart-sized containers of a dark-red coleus named Flame Thrower in a patio container .  I had not grown this variety previously, but I liked the the shape of the foliage and having planted some Inferno coleus in the corner patio bed, I thought this would help with a little bit of 'garden legibility' via repetition.  Of colors and plants.   This container sits on our back stoop and gets full afternoon sun.  Being close to the house, it isn't until about mid-day when the sun arrives, but it sticks around here for just about as long as anywhere else in our backyard.   How is the coleus doing?  Very well, I'd say.  Below is a photo showing the current state of the pot.  A lesson learned for me:  coleus as a monoculture works well in a container like this. See that bright green next to the coleus?  I'll post about that tomorrow. 

Back in June, I planted three (more) Sun King Aralias in the backyard.  Last year, I planted six of the same plant in the far backyard and they came back and are thriving.  So, at the Morton Arboretum Sale this year, I bought three more for the yard.   I tucked them into the other side of the backyard (southside) about half-way back near the Green Giant Thujas.  This is a spot where I previously had an Oakleaf Hydrangea (rabbits killed it) and these three bright-green perennials check a few boxes:  1.  Repetition.  With this second colony of Sun Kings, we now are starting to show a little bit of the notion of 'repetition'. 2.  Lean into what's working.  With the six (that I ignored last year) coming back, I knew these would work well in our conditions. 3. Japanese-inspired gardening. I mean...the plants are named Sun King Golden Japanese Aralias. 4.  Foliage gardening.  These don't flower.  Or, at least don't flower mean...

Back in June, I p lanted ten (10) small plugs of White Polka Dot Plant Annuals in between the Green Velvet Boxwoods that are planted at the base of the Linden espalier.   I saw these same white ones in the Morton Arboretum Fragrance Garden (the shade part) in 2021 and loved them since back then.   They handle the shade and with their white dots on the foliage, can brighten up some of these darker spaces.  Being planted right under the trees, this area gets no direct sunlight.  It isn't SHADE, but it stays pretty dark and - when watered - damp.   All ten of the annuals have survived and are now putting on some size.  Below is a photo showing them in late July: I'm already thinking about these for cut flowers as accent pieces.  And, for next year - as annuals in the backyard.   One of my goals is to focus (more) on repetition.  These might be the annuals that I can tuck in around the back to help increase the 'legibility' ...

Earlier this year, I planted three small quart-sized nursery containers of a new (to me) nepeta named 'Chartreuse on The Loose' .  It is an interesting variety that has a unique color foliage (lime green), habit (trailing) and maintenance needs (it doesn't require deadheading to re-bloom).  Right away, one of the plants was eaten-up by the (dang!) rabbits.  But the other two seemed to do just fine.   Look back at this planting post in early May when the three small plants were just that:  small .  Lots of mulch showing between them.   Today?  They've made a drift with no gaps in between them at all.   See below for the current state of these trailing/spreading catmint perennials: I've mentioned that I need to continue to remind myself to add more of WHAT IS WORKING instead of adding net-new stuff.  But, these are both a reminder that sometimes new things can be great.  But, now that I see them working, I have put them...

In 2023, I planted two Shredded Umbrella Plants in amongst some epimedium in the understory garden on the north side .  They're foliage plants that have a pretty unique leaf to them and I've admired them ever since they went in the ground.  This is now their third growing season and for the first time...they flowered.  See below for the current state of these unique foliage plants: I figured that in service of 'repetition' in the garden, why not add a few more.  The last time I was up at Northwind Perennial Farm, I picked up three more Shredded Umbrella plants and decided to put them in opposite the current batch - along the southside.   Here, below, are the three nursery container plants pre-planting:  I opted to put them in amongst the Autumn Ferns, in-front-of the water bubbler in the wine barrel.  With a couple of carex in the back, this is becoming a Roy Diblik-inspired cluster of perennials.   These little pop of foliage are someth...

I've made it clear that Autumn Ferns are near the top of my list for favorite perennial in the garden.   Having fallen in love with ferns via the Ostrich Fern, I've come to understand that there are other varieties that perform better - at least for me.  When I talk about performance, I'm talking about full, four-season interest.  Ostrich Ferns - which...naturalize....look great for a season-and-a-half.  They're great in Spring and most of Summer, but they begin to brown out in the heat of August.   Autumn Ferns put on a show all year long - and are....semi-evergreen.   I've been on a multi-year journey that I call my 'hosta replacement' program - that includes upgrading some of our borers from being hosta-centric to include other, more-preferred plants like Hakonechloa Macra grasse and....Autumn Ferns. At Menards, I found a pair of Autumn Ferns for just $3.99 each.  They were in quart-sized containers and were hanging-on (as stuff does...

There aren't a ton of planting posts that I can publish that check the box on three ' to-do items ', but the three ornamental grasses that I planted in the backyard recently get that accomplished. Those three grasses are All Gold Hakonechloa macra grasses that I bought at the recent Morton Arboretum plant sale. The three relevant items are: 4. Finishing the garden edits, 10. Work on garden 'legibility' and 20. Stay focused on repetition vs. new. When I bought these three bright grasses, I wasn't sure where I was going to put them. Somewhere in the backyard or perhaps along the boardwalk. After thinking about it for weeks, I opted to place them at the end of the border that houses the rest of these All Gold Grasses. Extend the row closer to the house. At the end of April, I posted a photo showing the nine grasses in this border . With these three new ones, we're now at twelve All Golds in back. Here are the three new ones staged for planting: All Gold Hak...