One down

A while ago I learned that burning bush is invasive. I have a burning bush, but had never noticed any seedlings sprouting nearby, so I thought, Pfft! Well, my neighbors have an ornamental pear, they are considered invasive but I've never seen any pear seedlings, and yet the wooded empty lots in the area are FULL of volunteer ornamental pear. They may be full of burning bush as well.

Before (with gold mop trying to grow around it)

So every time I looked at the burning bush, I thought, That has to go... sometime. This year, it's time has come. The invasive issue is just a smoke screen, though. The real reason I want to get rid of it is it crowds the Chamaecyparis 'Gold Mop' growing next to it. I love my gold mop, but its beautiful shape is marred. I'm hoping that with more exposure, the asymmetrical growth will even out.

After, unexposed foliage is green instead of gold

Now I am eyeing the Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy' that also grows in that bed, is also reported to be invasive, and is also crowding the gold mop a bit. Just this year I added Creeping Broad-leaved Sedge 'Banana Boat' for contrast. *sigh* Sometimes it hurts to be environmentally conscious.

Whack, whack, whack

Spring would not be the same without the bright yellows of daffodils and forsythia. BUT. Forsythia can really get out of control if left to its own devices. An unruly forsythia shrub is especially problematic if the gardener plants them too close to the gates to the backyard (ahem). So in an effort to contain and hopefully transform the offending bushes, I told my SO to whack away at them. And whack he did.

I also invited him to reduce the burning bush to a miniature size, to give the gold mop and barberry a chance to fill out. If the filling out does not happen, we can let the burning bush return to its so-called dwarf size.

And let's not leave out the boxwood.

Now I can see out my living room window.

Once the privet at the back of the lot drops its blossoms, it's turn will come. Whack, whack, whack.

Signs of November

The burning bush:



Under the burning bush:



The asplenifolia:



Under the asplenifolia:



The maple tree:



Under the maple tree:



And ornamental grasses:







(Don't tell the others, but the sea oats are my favorite!)

Before I forget

Today I planted garlic, 39 cloves of German Extra Hardy from 5 bulbs and 21 cloves of Broadleaf Czech from 2 bulbs. I've never grown garlic before, so I hope I did okay.



My lasagna beds are not very deep yet, so I spread the contents of two of my big containers over the garlic. Hopefully, the potting soil will provide enough food to get the garlic growing well in the spring. Meanwhile, those worms I saw today better get in gear!

Also planted jonquils (Giant Yellow for Naturalizing), Fondant hyacinth, and pink grape hyacinth. The hyacinth went around the smoke bush, while the jonquils wound up here, there, and everywhere.

And my SO, aka Mulch Man, spread more mulch around the shrubs.

Oh, and that tree from my previous post? Not a maple. We got up close and personal and discovered it has small purple fruit. I'm guessing flowering crab. Of course, when I try to find photos online of flowering crab trees, all I can find are spring pix, not fall ones.

Now, because I am too pooped to write anymore, here are a few pictures from around the yard.

Serviceberry (AmElanchier x Grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'):



Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliant') (and my neighbor's sailboat, which is for sale, if anyone is interested):



Sargent viburnum (Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'):



Rhododendron 'PMJ':



Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'):



Burning bush:

Signs of October

My SO claimed he had fall-blooming, perennial petunias in his yard. I did not believe him, so he not only showed me, he brought me some.



These must be wild petunias, which can reseed themselves. They prefer partial sun and well-drained soil, but I thought I would give them a try anyway.

My lone backyard tree survived the summer.



The tulip tree's leaves are turning a lovely shade of yellow.



Not as spectacular as my neighbor's two new red maples, but mine will have blossoms in the spring.

The burning bush is on fire.



The sedum is fading from red to copper.



The Japanese maple is also turning copper-colored...



... as are the sea oats.



We haven't had a hard frost yet, but I'm basically done with the vegetables for this year. Oh, except for the fall snow peas. And garlic should be arriving soon. And there are bulbs to plant. When does a gardener get to rest?

It's Not Final Until It Is Final

I don't know much about the inspection process when it comes to new construction. This year I learned a few things, including the fact there is something called a final inspection. The electrical inspector came and did a final inspection, and I assumed that was that. But today there was a notice on my front door from the heating inspector, as he has to do a final inspection as well. I'm guessing the framing inspector does not have to do a final inspection because, well, the framing is all covered up now.



Red is my favorite color...



... but it is not the only color of autumn. There is the bronze of the oat grass...



... and the yellow of these wildflowers (I'm too lazy to look them up)...



... and the purple of the Vibernum prunifolium...



... aka Blackhaw Viberunum.

Not Quite Yet

I was really, really, really hoping that today would be the final day of Project Renovation, but alas, it was not to be. Someone (moi?) provided the wrong dimensions of the new room, so the flooring guys came up short. More laminate was ordered, and once it comes in, the remaining work should take about an hour.



Considering where we started with this project (replacing an 18' x 12' Florida room) to where the journey took us (24' x 24' addition) to where we finally landed (18' x 15' room), it is not surprising that some dimensions were miscommunicated. If this is the worst mishap, I will be happy.



Someday, when I have recovered from this project, I would like to move the washer and dryer to the other end of the house, and maybe put a half-bath where they are now. Or a freezer/pantry. Or a big closet.



Somebody stop me!

I'm liking the option of light in the backyard. These two fixtures illuminate the patio; there is a two-bulb flood light on the corner of the new room as well.



Red is the color of autumn. Red leaves on the burning bush...



... and red berries on the chokeberry.



Never mind that it is still in the 80's this week.

Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits

Ordinarily, I don't like to prune my shrubs much, preferring their natural shape, but the burning bush is so unruly this year.



It swipes at cars that get too close. It swipes at me when I try to get past it. It crowds the barberry and gold mop. Time for a trim.



Burning bushes have very interesting bark (which I neglected to photograph), and pruning it up reveals the striations.



But now I have another brush pile.



(I was not convinced the trash picker-uppers would pick up the brush I left for them this week, but they did. Whew!)

Remember the bee balm I transplanted a while back? It is now blooming, some purple and some white.



I thought there was a third color, but I must be mistaken. Still not much bee activity. There was one sitting on unopened milkweed blossoms, looking lethargic. I jiggled the leaf and it fluttered its wings, so it was alive, just not very perky. What is going on?

The coneflower continues to mature.



I remember the first time I planted coneflower. And replanted it. And replanted it. I kept yanking it out of the ground because I thought it was a weed. Then I would jam it back into the dirt and throw some water on it. It survived and even thrived.

This tomato doesn't look too happy, though. We have been having some very cool nights.



Last night's storms split to the north and south, but we did get 0.5" of rain. Now it is clear and cool.

Dingleberry

After all my hard work, chopping and bundling brush, I forgot to put it out for trash pickup this morning. *sigh*

The thrill of spring is giving way to the steady rhythm of summer. The honeymoon is over, but there are still a few interesting things around the yard.

Up close and personal, the milkweed blossoms await their pollinators.



This plant grows from a crack between the driveway concrete and a wall of castle block. The volunteers in the 3B garden are not nearly as robust, in spite of having real dirt to grow in and lots of mulch to keep their feet moist.

The burning bush is starting to make these little fruit? seeds? that the sparrows like.



Hmmm. I just did a little research. The burning bush does produce fruit which the birds do like, BUT it is also considered a non-native invasive. I did not know that. I have not noticed my bush doing any invading in my yard, but the birds may be spreading the seeds far and wide. In my defense, this bush was here when I bought the house.

Yuccas are forever, but this one is struggling to bloom.



If memory serves me correctly, once upon a time I planted three yuccas in this spot. When I added more plants, I tried to eliminate some of the yuccas, but like a bad weed, more keep popping up. What remains has to compete with the asplenifolia and sandcherry for sunlight. The flower stem is quite spindly and not full at all. Not sure if I will do anything about it, though.

The next two pix were an attempt to showcase the 3B garden but my photog skills are lacking.



3B stands for Bees, Butterflies, Birds. This garden is successful in attracting all three. From a distance, it appears meadowlike, very green with highlights of color. The above photo shows the catmint and daisies, the picture below yarrow, pestemon, and keys of heaven.



The 3B is prettier in real life.

The two-leggeds need to eat as well.



The first pepper!

And here is the Mad Rabbit.