Project 2026

January is one of my favorite times of the year. The new year is a blank slate, just waiting to be overlaid with our hopes and dreams. It's expecially fun for gardeners, as we can finally get our plans in order for the coming growing season.

I did a pretty good job meeting my goals for 2025. Sometimes they morph into something else, but that's okay. It's important to be flexible.

Here's to 2026!

1. The only food I plan to grow is a little clump of asparagus, strawberries (assuming they survives this crazy winter), and garlic I planted last fall in the strawberry bed. And maybe I'll take another shot at green beans.
2. I discovered that the chokeberry plants the landscaper installed by the den are non-yielding, so I want to plant a row of four fruitful chokeberries in front of them; variety will depend on height and berry production.
3. I've always wanted arches over the gates to the backyard and will try to create them from cattle fencing like the neighbor behind me did. The climbing rose can crawl over the south gate from one side and maybe something else from the other side (like a clematis). The north gate could support the honeysuckle vine.
4. I will deliberately plant more safflower, to dye yarn with.
5. The 'Goldsturm' rudbeckia will be eliminated from the Meadow.
6. Rudbeckia hirta will go in the bed around a serviceberry in front yard; it is supposed to actually attract pollinators, plus it's pretty.
7. Arrow-leaf coneflower will join the coneflower cultivar (that was supposed to attract pollinators but didn't) in the bed by the front walk; maybe I'll shift the cultivar to the front of bed, because it is short but blooms a long time.
8. Gotta plant some Mexican sunflowers (in containers?)
9. Also gotta plant some zinnias (in containers?)
10. I want to repeat having pineapple sage, planted in the ground this time instead of a container, as it gets rather big. It's great for an autumn pick-me-up
11. Weeds choked out a few of the plants in the coneflower bed, so I'll order replacements.
12. The penstemon in the Meadow is too aggressive! But before I eliminate it, I must check the plants I moved to the south side of the house, to make sure it is established there, where it can duke it out with the northern sea oats and bee balm.
13. The wild geranium volunteers from the front yard are going to the area next to the goutweed. If the geranium does well, perhaps it will replace the goutweed someday.
14. The Meadow will be limited to the coneflower, the cupplant (which may need to be cut back a bit), the hickory tree, the rattlesnake master, the common milkweed, and some fleabane if I don't accidently pull it. (Fleabane looks like baby's breath from a distance.)
15. More packera, nodding onion, and hairy beardtongue will be transplanted to the backyard.
16. For the rain garden, I will add some ironweed and marsh blazing star.
17. I want to rearrange the portable fencing so the tallest panels are on the south side of the house, holding back the tall plants there, and the shortest panels are around the meadow (to keep the dog out).
18. I've never had much luck with butterfly weed, but someday I would like to try establishing it, maybe in the fire ring (once I'm done using it for fires).
19. REMINDER: Cut back the aromatic asters and goldenrod in June, to see if they behave better.

Everyday, I try to spend some time watching the birds at the feeders, from my recliner in the den. Most of the time, it is the usual suspects. The other day a white-breasted nuthatch joined the red-breasted nuthatch, which is unusual. Meanwhile, a fluffed up red-shouldered hawk sat in the neighbor's silver maple, but none of the other birds seemed too concerned.

Despite all that is going on in the world, something as simple as a bit of wildlife in the backyard can be very healing.

Goals for 2024

It's a little embarrassing to sift through old blog postings and see how many "resolutions" I failed to stick to. At least, my plans for 2022 panned out - redoing the landscaping - and I have stuck to eliminating invasives in the yard (although they keep trying to stage a comeback). Some goals have been abandoned because, frankly, they are too much work. There are a few things I would like to accomplish this year, though.

One disappointment in planting natives (or at least, the natives I now have) is they are not very showy. I think the simplest thing to do is to fix that with annuals, specifically zinnias, at least in the front yard.

Once upon a time, the "meadow" was a milkweed forest. I whacked that, thinking I would transplant perennials from other parts of the yard there. Now I am inclined to revert that area to milkweed. Hopefully, I will see more monarchs then.

I've attempted to grow shrubs and vines in containers, with minimal success. Two small butterfly bushes and a Clematis Paniculata are all that I have left, and next summer I plan to transplant them into the ground. I think they will be much happier, which will make me happier.

Three is a charming number, so I think I will stop there.

1. Plant zinnias in the beds in the front yard
2. Recreate the milkweed forest
3. Transplant container perennials into the ground

There has not been a lot of bird activity in the backyard, but yesterday this hawk was pecking at something in the driveway. Worms?

And on today's dog walk, a heron made an appearance near the neighborhood pond. I couldn't get closer because, well, the dog.

Here's wishing you a Happy New Year. May all your gardening dreams come true!

Another pile of feathers

Just as I was about to go outside and fill birdfeeders, I noticed this fellow dining al fresco. From the remains (just feathers), it looks like dinner was something small, like a sparrow or junco.


This crow also paid the backyard a visit. I think that is the first time I have seen one at the feeders.

(From the quality of these photos, you can see why I would like a new camera, preferably one with a zoom lens.)

In the photos above, you will see a pile of arborvitae branches in the background. That is what I have been working on when the weather allows: lopping branches off the trunks of the downed shrubs and creating brush piles for the wildlife. Otherwise, I am (im)patiently waiting for spring.

The weather I wished for

I've been anxious to see the winterberry in snow, and today I got my wish. The predicted "wintery mix" turned into just "winter" - a couple of inches of wet, heavy snow.

Every day I spend at least a little time bird watching from the comfort of my recliner in the den. Today I was rewarded with a hawk feasting on what I presumed to be a sparrow. Not long after this big guy left, a smaller version stopped by as well. My backyard probably looks like a sparrow smorgasbord.

(I wish I had a better camera. Or at least a good zoom lens.)

In case you didn't notice, the first photo in this post also shows the replacement Canadian hemlock, which was installed yesterday. I hope they fare better than their predecessors.

Have a cozy week.

The lower the temps, the higher the bird count

Now that the temps are staying low, the variety of backyard birds is improving. Ditto what I see when walking the dogs around the neighborhood. In fact, I think this guy is a regular.

(Sorry for the poor quality of the above photo. I wanted to see how well the zoom feature on the camera of my new phone works. About the same, it looks like - not very well.)

I still don't have all the feeders up, but that did not stop bluebirds from visiting this "bark butter" feeder. I also saw a nuthatch at it. It seems the finish is too smooth for good gripping, but I'm afraid if I rough it up, the wood won't last as long. We'll see how it goes.

There is not much to see or do outside right now. I did prune the 'Limelight' hydrangea the other day. A combination of recent events left it looking rather pathetic. It doesn't get enough sun, so I usually don't prune anything except the blossoms. Last year, because of my shoulders, I could not reach very high, so the branches became rather spindly and drooped a lot this past summer. I'm hoping the high pruning I was able to do this time will perk it up.

I forget about the witch hazel because most of the year it doesn't look like much. It's a bright spot on this gray day.

Covid numbers are up again, especially in this state and even moreso in this county. It doesn't appear to be slowing anyone down, though, judging by the traffic and crowds. I guess this is as good as it is going to get, so despite being fully vaccinated, I will continue to mask and use hand sanitizer when out and about. Have a safe holiday weekend!

What's Better than Home Grown?

Home grown by somebody else.

I went to the farmer's market this afternoon and was shocked, shocked I say, by how many people were there. I have been to this particular venue before, but really early and really late in the season, when there are few vendors and even fewer customers. Today was much different.

What did I buy? Mostly stuff that ordinarily I would have grown in my own garden - green beans, potatoes, onions, peppers - and some things I have grown in the past - kohlrabi, baby watermelon - plus something I have never eaten, let alone grown - ground cherries. They are quite good, too.

I also treated myself to these:



I love gladiolas.

Look what I found yesterday at Joann's:



A garden Buddha, at 70% off. It was the last one in the store, although ironically I dreamed last night that there were more in the next aisle over.

And here is another hawk, smaller than the one I showed in my last post, and in my own backyard.



I took this pic through the storm door. As soon as I stepped outside, he was off.

Go! Sort Of

Today a new patio door was installed, to replace the old, broken-down wooden one. I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the "after":



Unlike my old door, this door requires no maintenance, glides easily, and locks.

Besides the patio door installer, the contractor came to visit as well. We ironed out a few more details, we each signed on the dotted line, and I wrote a big fat check for one-third down. Gulp! Next week we will work out the schedule for the coming weeks. Everything is supposed to be done by the first week of October. (fingers crossed)

You know how you never seem to have your camera on you when a photo op occurs? But if you go get your camera, by the time you are ready to take a picture, the subject of the picture is gone? That almost happened to me the other day. While walking the dog, a hawk landed on a neighborhood spruce. And it sat there, in spite of us strolling within 20 feet of the tree. And it sat there, while Betsy checked her pee-mail at the corner rock. And it sat there, as we continued on our way. And it sat there when the neighbor girl ran past, on her way to the bus stop. And it sat there, while I fetched my camera and walked back to the corner. And it sat there while I took several pictures, none of which turned out very good.



I kept stepping closer to the tree, until the bird flew off. I think I know where he was going. The people at the house next door to the yard with the spruce keep birds, and they keep the birds outside in the summer. I'm sure he was hoping for an easy breakfast, if he could just figure out the cage door mechanism.

Look who finally decided to bloom!



It's the Rose of Sharon!



The hummingbirds will be happy, maybe even happier than me.