Why I Oughta...

Tree buds are some of the stars of our Winter garden here in Northern Illinois - Zone 5B.  As I've continued to grow as a gardener and observed the natural rhythm of our garden, I've come to really appreciate buds.    I used to think about the garden season cycle as something that starts with Spring and ends with Winter, but as I've watched our garden more, I've now come to the realization the garden growing season actually starts - for many things - in the fall.  That's when trees set their buds before they head into dormancy.   Tree buds are all unique and tell a story.  One of the sets of buds that I've been following for a number of years is the Saucer Magnolia tree that we planted in our front yard in 2017.  I posted some photos of the Saucer Magnolia buds last year - in February .    Here's how it looks right now - in early January. This tree continues to grow up and out.  And, it appears that the aphid and/or scale problem that has been going on the p

We didn't get Christmas blooms out of this Flamenco Queen Amaryllis bulb, but the wait was worth it.  I last posted a photo of this plant at the very end of 2022 and showed the stalk had shot up with a bud at the tip .  Today?  It is wide-open.  And has two of the most-striking flower blooms on opposite sides of the stalk that we've ever grown.  See below for a look at the Flamenco Queen with red and white-striped petals and a lime-green center. Below is a photo showing that 'opposite' set of blooms.  And the two more that are on their way: This is also - by far - the tallest, lanky-est Amaryllis we've ever grown.  Even after we 'poisoned it' with an alcohol mix in December.  How tall? It is showing blooms that are 25.5" above the top of the bulb.  See below for the measurement:  It has started to lean, so I stuck in a plant support that you can see below.  The hard part with these Amaryllis bulbs and plant supports is that the width of the bulb forces

In my recently-posted recap/scorecard of what I wanted to do in the yard this past year, I marked the item about getting back into wildlife feeding as a 'miss'.   The reality is that I really ONLY feed the birds and critters during the cold months.  That's something like November to March...usually.   A few years back, the kids and I applied to be a Certified Wildlife Habitat and part of that process is to ensure that your yard is providing - among other things - food.   During COVID, I was home everyday.  And so were kids.  That meant that we had the opportunity to feed the birds and squirrels every morning.  I fed the birds and the kids put cracked corn and various seeds on the perimeter of the fence for the critters to fuel up. I was able to feed the birds everyday because we had this really lovely clear, plastic fly-thru feeder that I bought back in 2018 .  That was a real breakthrough moment for me with birds.  Up until then, I had only used feeders that were closed

Planted in 2021, this will be the third growing season for a singular large-scale Switch Grass that is planted in our front porch bed: the Totem Pole Switch Grass .  I've been able to 'get to know' this grass a bit over the years and have discovered that it is late starte r - well after most grasses emerge for the year.  And that every year since planting, the grass has grown taller and taller .  On a recent warm(er) afternoon this past weekend, I wandered around the front beds to have a look at some plants and came across this grass.  And was struck by the seed heads.  And how it provides a really nice look in Winter.  See below for the current state of the Switch Grass: With the removal of the declining Norway Maple and the planting of the Triumph Elm, this front yard bed is one of my main/top priorities for 2023.  Do I leave this grass here?  Add more of them?  Time to make a plan. 

While the calendar is now showing January 2023 and my focus in the yard and garden is on the year ahead, I still need to do a full and complete rundown of how I did out there in 2022.  I've done this a number of times over the years - posting an early draft in the Winter, a full list in the early Spring, typically a late-Summer/early Fall check-in and then...finally a 'season scorecard' at the end of the year.   This post is going to focus on those 'Season Scorecards'.   Here's my 2019 'Season Scorecard '.  12/17. 70% complete. Here's my 2020 'Season Scorecard' .   22 of 25 complete . 88%. Here's my 2021 'Season Scorecard '.   17.5 completes. 2 semi-completes. 5.5 not-completes. 70%. This is the final 'Season Scorecard' for 2022.    I completed an Early-Fall check-in on the list in September and at that time, I found: 6 in green . 24% complete. 12 in orange.  48% mixed or incomplete. 7 in red.   28% not started and no pro

I've posted a few times about Woodstock Illinois and how it was one of the central characters in the film Groundhog Day (written and directed by Harold Ramis) here on the blog.  Here's a letter from Ramis to the citizens of Woodstock .  Here's a look at a visit to "Ned's Corner" .  And a post showing the "Gobblers Knob" landmark in the Woodstock square .   We were in Woodstock and popped into the theater for a matinee and I saw a new (to me) sign that marked the main movie theater in the Woodstock Theater (operated by Classic Cinemas) was named the Harold Ramis Auditorium.  Below is a shot of the plaque outside theater one.    And, here below, is a handprint (set) from Ramis, too: Turns out, the dedication of the theater occurred back in 2015  - about a year after Ramis' death. 

The last time I checked in our dual compost bin setup was a month ago - in early December - when I considered the bins (mostly) done for the season and filled with all the Fall leaves that had come down.  In that post, both bins - the carbon/leaf storage on the left and the properly mixed and passively aerated bin on the right - were both 'heaping' with a mound of material extending well above the top of the fence panels.   I was out puttering in the yard recently and went back to see what kind of compaction that had occurred in the past 30 days.   Below, you can see the current - January 2023 - state of the bins.   On the left - the carbon storage:  The material has compacted to be well-below the top of the fence panel. I've also added a bunch of container material to the top including some Fall Cabbages.  On the right - the mix has darkened in color as decomposition has begun to take place it seems.  Compare the color of the front of the bin today (above) with what it l