Why I Oughta...

I recently came across this line that can be traced back to a Chinese Proverb about when the best time for all of us to consider planting a tree and it really resonated with me.  It was shared in this (below) Instagram post from Gardeners Supply : View this post on Instagram The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. (Chinese Proverb) Proper planting is critical to ensure the tree survives and thrives. ⁣ Here are some planting tips (find more on our website's article "How to Plant a Tree or Shrub"):⁣ .⁣ Planting too deep is the top reason that trees and shrubs die.⁣ .⁣ Apply bark mulch or pine straw to a depth of 2–3" over the entire planting hole. Mulching helps conserve water and prevent weeds. Taper the mulch toward the base of the tree, but do not allow it to touch the tree trunk.⁣ .⁣ Proper moisture is critical to the survival of your young tree or shrub. The roots should

Back in the Fall of 2017 (our first fall), I planted 30 tulip bulbs along the fenceline in our backyard in between the section where our espalier system is set up and where we are growing a series of hydrangeas.  They popped up for the first time in March of 2018 and I documented that here .  And by Mid-May they had bloomed in a beautiful combination of orange and yellow .  I mentioned last year that I thought it was going to be best to relocate these bulbs, but guess what?  I never got around to moving them.  This post claims that the *best* time to transplant tulip bulbs is the late Fall - about the same time that I put these in the ground.  From the post : The best time to transplant tulips is in the late fall, according to Ron Smith, Horticulturist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service. In the fall, bulbs have completed their growing cycle and lie dormant. Moving dormant tulips doesn't interrupt the growing cycle and makes the bulbs less susceptible to

Day three of tree buds in Spring today.  First was the Dawn Redwood tree that I have high hopes for this year.  Then, yesterday, I posted a photo of the Weeping Cherry tree that is in the far part of our yard.  Today comes the Frans Fontaine European Columnar Hornbeam trees.  Welp, this photo is of just one of the trees, but if you've been following along, you likely know that there are a bunch of these trees.  And these are clearly the most handsome buds of the bunch.  Look at those beauties all wrapped up and ready to explode.  Compared to the Cherry ones - who look angry and jagged - these are perfectly positioned at the end of the branch tips and almost egg-shaped.   These trees are not quite a year old (in our yard), so I'm still holding my breath to ensure that all of them survived.  For now, I'm taking these buds as a strong sign of health heading into Spring of 2019. 

Another day, another look at a tree's buds that have set in our #newoldbackyard.  Yesterday, I posted a photo of the buds from our Dawn Redwood tree and today is a look at the Weeping Cherry in the far reaches of our yard.   I haven't posted much about this tree on the blog, but that's not because it isn't interesting.  This was one of the three trees we planted for Earth Day 2018 and is formally named the Snow Fountains Weeping Cherry .    We planted it in the rear of our property and it appeared to have some positive growth in the first year.  Looking at the buds that were set in the photo of this post, I'm thinking we'll have another bloom this year as the tree appears to have established itself.  This is the second flowering Cherry tree we have - the first is a Kwanzan Cherry Tree - that I bought after my first trip to Tokyo.  This is a grafted tree and it has a shoot from the trunk that has emerged that I haven't removed yet, that tells me tha

Last Summer, I had to replace the Dawn Redwood tree that had died in our yard.  This was the very first tree that we planted in 2017 before we moved in to our new house.   I noticed that first Fall that the tree was in trouble and posted a photo wondering if it was going to make the Winter.    It didn't. So, last year we replaced it.  And baby'd it all Summer.  It was reacting positively and we saw some new growth all the way through October - which was a good sign.  Then, I did a final check-in on the tree in November where we saw all of the needles still clinging to the branches.  Today, the limbs are covered with little buds that you can see in the photo above.  Good sign of life, right?  I also picked up a little trick that helps ascertain if a tree is healthy and alive:  you take your fingernail and scrape off a tiny bit of bark.  If you see 'green', you're in good shape.  For this Dawn Redwood after the scrape?  Green.  Could this be the Spring w

I posted a photo of some of our tulip bulbs that have emerged from the mulch beds at the end of last week. And today we have our first backyard flower at Hornbeam Hill.  This is a Snowdrop and despite this being our second Spring in our new house, I don't think I noticed this thing last year.  It is along the north side of our backyard about half way back to the rear lot line.  There's just one of these blooms and it is in the side of the yard that we haven't spent a minute working on, so I'm not totally sure how it got there but I'm glad to see it!  We have a bunch of daffodils in various spots around our backyard (quite a few of them in places where we've grown grass!), so perhaps the previous owner bought some early Spring bulb sets and this was included. 

The Big Ten Conference put up this B1G outside of the Daley Center during the Big Ten Hoops Tournament earlier this month.  Like seeing this way more than having it at the Garden.