Why I Oughta...

Earlier this Summer, I posted some photos and details of the plantings in the beds of the Fragrance Garden at the Morton Arboretum and documented some of the things that I struck me as interesting - including the use of a new (to me) plant:  Cardoon. So imagine my surprise when I came across this sign at The Growing Place.  Sure enough...Cardoon.  It is in the herbs and vegetables section.  It was cheap to begin with...and with 50% off, I figured I'd take a shot.   Is it cold hardy to Zone 5B?  I don't think so.  But, I planted it - this late in the season - anyway.  Only way to learn, right?  And, for two bucks, why not get a little joy out of this freakshow of a plant. I put it IB2DWs - where I would see it A LOT.  See below for location. Cardoon planted as a bedding plant I'm going to mulch it in pretty hard (pile biosolids on top of the crown) when the foliage dies back, but I'm pretty sure this won't come back - as it is usually listed to Zone 7 .  But, next y

Planted in the Fall of 2021, our Mugo Pine is (now...almost two years later) still a small, evergreen shrub.    I last looked at it a little over a year ago (August 2022), when it was looking good - green and compact and full of needles .   Early this past Winter (November 2022), the dang rabbits went at this thing and gnawed off a bunch of the tips .  And...the little jerks just left them there.   Of course, that meant that a chicken wire ring needed to be put up to protect it from the pests.  Like the Toad Lilies, I've left this chicken wire ring up all Summer.   Here, below, is what the Mugo Pine looks like below.  First, a look from the top-down.  Then, from the side-on: It has put on some height this year and has opened-up a bit.  What was dense and compact last year is now a little more airy.  The tips are full of longer needles that are reaching up-and-out.  I don't have a ton of conifers, so looking at this one makes me think I should be adding some to my Fall 2023 to-d

I had to pick up one of the kids at the Morton Arboretum recently had had a little bit of time to get some steps in and decided to go see the Fragrance Garden up by the Thornhill Center on the West side of the Arboretum .  It is a spot where you can park pretty close and get to see some beds and containers on a quick little, easy walk.  A couple of years ago, I was in this same garden and posted some thoughts and photos here .  At that time, I was struck by the bedding plants and combinations they had in what felt like a very shady garden (which...is a lot like our own garden).    It was from that experience that I said (to myself) that I needed to think about using annuals beyond the container - as bedding plants - in the shade.  In fact....that was one of my 2023 to-do items and the push behind all of the annuals that I planted this year including some Lobelia, Begonias, Impatiens, Polka Dot Plants .  The beds at the Morton Arboretum have inspired me prior to that shade garden visit.

Last Spring, I bought three Butterscotch Amsonia from the Morton Arboretum plant sale - after reading about how they're texture superstars in the garden.  I planted them as an intermediate layer - behind a row of Fanal Astilbes and in front of a series of Oakleaf Hydrangeas.   I spaced them out pretty far (based on the recommended spacing).  What do they look like today?  They've filled in and starting to put on size.  See below: They're all kind of leaning towards the east - where the sun is located - but are doing what they're supposed to do:  add a fine leaf texture to the garden.  Compare the size to what they looked like in October of last year (when they were yellowing for the first time) and you can see that they've put on both height and width.  

Last last Fall (October), I bought and planted a small 1# Mugo Pine in our backyard garden - in the north side beds between the Harry Lauder Walking Stick tree and our Weeping Nootka Cypress tree.  I posted the details of the Mugo Pine and how it was doing over Winter here in early January .    Fast forward seven months and what does it look like during its first true growing season?  See below for the new growth and size that it has put on this Summer: I haven't paid particular attention to it, but since it is located in this bed, it has been sprinkler watered along with everything else.  There are some brown needles along the interior, but I'm seeing a lot of bottle-brush-like growth on all the tips.  Good growing - so far.   And...the rabbits don't have any interest in it.  Again...so far.

Up at Northwind Perennial Farm, my middle child picked out this Lamb's Ear from the bench and said that she thought we could use it in the garden.  Like everyone else, we're drawn to the feel of Lamb's ear, but haven't planted any in the garden to date.  That changed with this variety - Helene Von Stein.  See below for the sign from Northwind: The sign calls out the size of the foliage.  And so do every listing on the Web.  This one from Bluestone Perennials calls it 'the biggest leaved Lamb's Ear around' .   Because of the uncertainty around *where* this should go (note:  it is NOT in our plan), I made one of the biggest gardening mistakes:  buying just one .    We ended up planting this in a little section of the garden that the middle child is (now) calling her own.  It is on the northside, in between some of the Viburnum.  See below for our (for now) solo Helene Von Stein Lamb's ear: I'll watch this one for a bit, but I'm already thinking tha