In addition to going to Northern Michigan for the weekend (Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses), Steve and I made a trip up to Door County, Wisconsin the third week of October. It was definitely peak colors that week and it was spectacular. The day started like this! Sunrise over Lake Michigan. After breakfast, we … Continue reading Fall in Door County, Wisconsin
Category: Trees
Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses
Over the last couple of weeks I've been lucky enough to travel around the upper Midwest and see an amazing explosion of fall color. I spent one of those weekends visiting my mom Peggy in Northern Michigan. Once the rain finished, we went out to the woods to have a look at some of the … Continue reading Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses
Dripping Faucet vs. Korean Lilac
For years our outdoor faucets have leaked. Sometimes it's the hose connection, or the faucet dripping when it's open at certain positions, or sometimes just all the time when they are open. If it's the hose connection, that's easily solved with a new washer. But, when we've tried to have the faucets fixed any improvements … Continue reading Dripping Faucet vs. Korean Lilac
Beautyberry Bushes–Did They Survive The Winter?
Last year, I wrote about buying three Purple Pearls Beautyberry Bushes (Callicarpa x NCCX1) at the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale. I had seen them the fall before in the parking lot there and thought they were just stunning with all those amazing, unusual purple berries (see Purple Beautyberry Bush). I had to plant them in my yard! For a first year … Continue reading Beautyberry Bushes–Did They Survive The Winter?
An Amazing Spring For The Flowering Trees
This spring, despite (or maybe in spite of) the poor weather the trees exploded in color like I have never seen before. How were your flowering trees this year? I need to replace the maple tree we lost last year (So Long Beautiful Maple Tree) so I'm thinking a magnolia is in … Continue reading An Amazing Spring For The Flowering Trees
Spring in Virginia
We had the chance to go to Virginia last weekend to make one last visit to two colleges before the May 1 deadline requires my twins to make a decision as to their plans next year. Aside from the great admitted student tours, it was a real treat to leap ahead a couple of weeks into … Continue reading Spring in Virginia
So Long Beautiful Maple Tree
One of the major casualties in my garden this year was an 18 year old branched Freeman Maple that was one of the anchors of the backyard. When we moved in about 20 years ago, along the side property line was a row of very scraggly Siberian Elms that were nearing the end of their life … Continue reading So Long Beautiful Maple Tree
Curled Leaves on the Bushes
Earlier in the spring, I began to notice that many, but not all, of my bushes in the front yard (Dwarf Korean Lilacs, Judd Viburnum, Boxwoods, Burning Bushes, Annabelle Hydrangea) were looking a bit unhealthy. Their leaves were oddly curling and looking dry, even though we'd had plenty of rain. The worst was one of … Continue reading Curled Leaves on the Bushes
A View of the June Garden-Front yard
Yesterday, the backyard, now on to the front yard... This is the area of biggest change. In preparation for new construction, all the trees next door were taken down in early April. We knew this was likely at some point (see Problem Areas) and had tried to plan ahead. This garden contains arborvitae, annabelle hydrangeas, hostas and … Continue reading A View of the June Garden-Front yard
A View of the June Garden-Backyard
I took a tour of my yard today to see how everything was looking. Other than a little late, most things were looking quite healthy. It seems I'm often focussed on the "little picture", so it was nice to just step back and look at the "big picture". Starting in the back... Hostas, sedum, peonies, … Continue reading A View of the June Garden-Backyard