Why I Oughta...

Back a couple weeks ago, I shared the latest pizza oven build project update:  I set the floor and the first chain of the dome .  I went with an isolated floor, so the first 'chain' of the dome is set at the same height as the floor.  But, instead of being set on a 50/50 blend of mason's sand and fireclay, I set the dome chain with refractory mortar - BETWEEN - the joints.   Today, I'm sharing how the dome is going vertical.  Thanks to my brother-in-law (not Equation Boy/Man, rather on Nat's side), I have an indispensable tool (IT) or dome gauge that allows me to easily set each brick of the dome at the right distance and angle.  You can see it in the first photo below.   The other thing that I did was to cut-down the Masonite template that I used to create the floor and placed it *inside* the dome to keep the floor clean from errant mortar and what-have-you.  I'll pull it out when the dome is complete.   The first photo shows ...

Three weeks ago, I noted that the Anemone 'Lucky Charm' flower show was just getting started with the emergence of those purple, sphere-shaped buds that stand at the top of thin, upright stems .  Today, that show is happening in full-force.  If history is any guide, these will bloom all Fall.  But right now, they're showing-off with a light-purple petal show in the 'kitchen curved' bed in our backyard.   See below of the current state of this little colony of Fall color.  Something to think about is using these in other spots in the garden.  They get 'part sun', but are really the ONLY blooms left to pop-off in our foliage-heavy garden.  I could use these elsewhere to provide some late-season action.  NOTE to future Jake:  Divide these in Fall. 

Earlier this season, I planted a dwarf Spring Grove Ginkgo tree , a Korean Maple ( Northern Glow Maple ) and a clump of Inferno Coleus in a new island bed in the middle of our front yard.  I used shade cloth to protect all of these from the hot Summer sun, but with the calendar turning to late-August (and Nat saying that it was looking a little 'Sanford & Son'), I recently took the shade cloth down.  And, here, below is how everything is faring this Summer.  The photo shows the Ginkgo, Maple and Coleus all doing well.  I say 'well' because they're not dying.   The top of the Maple saw some damage, but I'm pretty sure that's due to the shade cloth.  The Ginkgo is putting on tiny, curled leaves.  And the coleus is thriving.   Here's what this spot looked like BEFORE I created this new island bed .   My plan for [Fall 2024] is to connect this bed to the driveway and sidewalk and cover it in mulch.  Guess I need to start ...

Another note to self about Fall Planting:  just look at this Royal Purple Smokebush.  Talk about 'easy'.  I put it in the ground late last year - very late - at the end of October .  And, have mostly forgotten about it.  Today?  It is more-than-doubled in size and is doing its dark-foliage thing.  I watered this a little bit this Summer and was always struck by the SOUND watering it made.  The foliage is different than other leaves and has water run-off of it almost like tyvek.  The house wrap.  Weird comparison, I know.  But, that's the best I one that came to mind.  Water sort-of 'beads' on the leaves and then drops down to the mulch.   Here, below, is how it looks currently at the end of August: We didn't get any of those 'clouds' of seedheads (yet), but that's ok.   This is probably 15-to-18-inches tall right now, so it has plenty of height left to grow into.  That means it will get us a little bit ...

Planted in the Fall of 2021, we have a small Ginkgo tree planted IB2DWs - closer to the sidewalk than our house.  This marks the third full growing season and the tree is starting to become something.  It was TINY when it went in.  Not much more than a pencil-thin trunk .  This year, it put on some top growth - so much so that it toppled the support post I had in place.  I subsequently replaced it and wired up the leader to get some top-growth.   Below - you can see the current state of the tree.  About six-feet-tall and getting a few limbs.  All of this without much irrigation.  

One not-so-bright-spot in the garden this year is the small London Planetree in our parkway.  I planted it in late 2022 and it has maybe 1/5th the foliage that it had the day it went in the ground .  NOT GOOD.  I did NOT give this tree very much water this year, but once I noticed this thing in decline, I've been watering it daily.  Below is a look at the tree - with a lost leader and some TINY leaves.  Will this pull through?  We need a good Fall season for that to happen:

I bought and quickly divided a nursery-grown yellow, orange and red Zinnia named Zowie Yellow Flame earlier this season in a spot IB2DWs .  It produced a few early flowers that I clipped off some of the tips in hopes that it would 'bush-out' and get bigger.  The result?  Mixed.  It has certainly been pretty prolific with blooms.  But, it is tall and NOT super wide/fat/bush-like.    Below is what it looks like in late August:  I don't know a ton about collecting Zinnia seeds - specifically what happens with hybrids like this one - but I'm going to dry a couple heads and harvest the seeds.  I'll throw them into a mix and direct-sow them in my sideyard next Spring.   And, maybe I'll even throw some down IB2DWs to fill-in all the blank space over there.