Why I Oughta...

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...

Last May, I undertook a [garden edit] in the backyard that was aimed at accomplishing a few things at once:  First, it was part of my "hosta replacement project" - where I was moving some hostas (that don't provide four-season interest) further back in the garden.  Second, I was looking to improve the stumpery with some ferns and other shade-tolerant perennials.  And, finally....I had an established cluster of All Gold Hakonechloa Macra Japanese Forest Grasses that sat in the bed under our Tree Swing tree that I wanted to move.  Why move them?  Because that's where I put the pizza oven. Here's the post showing this garden edit and transplant of the All Gold grasses .  Pre-transplant, I had eight grasses in the garden .   I did some dividing (I think), because in this post , I count nine grasses in the garden edit.   As I've mentioned previously, last growing season got away from me thanks to the pizza oven build.  Weeding and wateri...

2024 was the year of cut flowers, but it also was the year of some ' garden personality '.  I included the notion of adding even more 'garden personality' as number 22 on my 2024 to-do list .  To that end, I feel like I added a bit - including the 'feed me' compost bin sign .  I also added - and mostly neglected - a small Stumpery in the back late in 2023 .   There's another bit of 'garden personality' that I added earlier this year that I failed to post about here on the blog.  That "bit" is my first attempt at a more-permanent Fairy Garden using a piece of Norway Maple trunk and a couple pieces of Norway Maple bark to create a little roof.  I sunk the bottom-half of the trunk into the ground to give it some stability and attached the roof with a couple of decking screws.   I added a little branch 'perch' where the door will go about half-way-up the trunk.  See below for the first Fairy House built in my new(ish) (more permanent) F...

This past week saw the start of the excavation for my backyard wood-fired pizza oven .  After going back-and-forth with various versions of math...I settled on some dimensions.  The hole needs to be 90" wide and 98" deep.  That allows for a slab to be poured that is 78" wide and 86" deep.  12" each way to allow for framing, supports and what I'm calling 'wiggle room'.   I opted for the 'on top of the drywell' location ; which means that the excavation is going to be light in some parts (6 inches) and deeper in others (10-12 inches).   That means that I'm going to be removing A LOT of material.  Soil.  Clay.  Probably some rocks.   What do I do with it? What I'd *LIKE* to do with it is to either build a berm in our front yard .  Or...use it to build a waterfall for a backyard pond.   But, I'm not ready for the pond.  And, I'm too chicken to do the berm in front.   Will it look silly?  Will...

This morning, we're getting walloped by a big snow storm, which will leave behind six-or-so inches of new, fresh white snow.  Yesterday, before that arrived, I walked our kitchen compost out to the bins (and of course, dumped it in the active compost collection bin with the "Feed Me" sign hanging on it ), figuring that it might be a couple of days before I was going to get back there.   On my way back to the house, I was struck by some of the 'winter interest' that I came across in the garden.  Most of the time, it sure feels like when I read about 'winter interest' that they're mostly talking about evergreens.  Shrubs, trees, etc.  And, those surely provide interest during the winter.  But, as I've posted about (and have some regret about), I've made a long-term mistake by neglecting conifers as a key part of our garden and rather focused on deciduous trees and perennials.    I've begun to address that conifer situation and will continue ...

Last month (November 2023), I discovered and then started (my own) stumpery in our backyard using a couple of various stumps and logs that I've collected over the years .  They included a few Norway Maple crotches/stumps and (I think) some hollowed-out Buckthorn limbs that have little areas that I can plant ferns and what-not.  The Stumpery is (currently) unplanted and will continue to evolve over time (hopefully), but it is the first real attempt at adding just a little bit of personality via what they call a " Garden Vignette ".     I was out there and decided to try to make a little (short) wattle fence around the front of the Stumpery using some of the limbs that fell off this season.  Below is a photo showing the small section of wattle that I quickly put together - it is about 3-feet-long and less than six-inches-tall: I've long thought about wattle fences - using whips of willow trees - but haven't pulled one off.  Each season, I prune up my esp...

I spotted this annual outlook on gardening trends from Garden Design and will - I think - post about the full list at some point.  I've done that the past few years - 2022 trends -  and last year - 2023 trends .  There are a few items on this years list that are worth a blog-post-level exploration.   But...there's one item that was totally BRAND NEW to me.  Borderline revelation.  It was that in 2024, more gardeners are going to 'rediscover stumpery gardens'.    I read that and was like... Wait a second.  Stumpery.  What the heck is a stumpery?   I've never heard of a stumpery let alone thought about adding one or 'rediscovering' stumpery gardens.   Here's what Garden Design says : While once a Victorian fad designed to show off fern collections, stumperies are again making a comeback. Only now, the focus isn’t only on plant collections but also on creating wildlife sanctuaries while showcasing shade-loving pla...