Winter Solstice Yard Update

It's been a warm December so far, drizzly and 50's all week and predicted high of 64 on Wednesday. It always seems wild, but then again I remember playing golf on Christmas Day before - so that's just Midwest weather. Today is the December Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I was going to put a rock out to mark the shadow of the fence at noon and compare that to the shadow in summer, but it's gray and cloudy.

I did stroll around my yard, and wanted to post some photos of things I thought were interesting.

First up (above) I like the color contrast of my dwarf mugo pine [Pinus mugo var. pumilio] turning slightly golden yellow in winter alongside this dwarf lavender [Lavandula angustifolia 'Wee One'] that is an icy blue. Very nice!

Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' looking a little less than stellar but still alive

I checked in with my favorite little Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' and it's not looking so hot. I'll probably order another and try to get it in the ground quickly this spring so it can have as good a chance as possible. Maybe this one will bounce back, it's rated for much colder zones so maybe it will be fine. 

I took the erosion barrier off the storm drain at the bottom corner of the yard. The grass still has to grow in around it, but it already looks nicer not having that 3 foot tall black square in the yard. I'm thinking about putting a few clumps of iris around it to see if they take off in the damp low spot.

At the bottom of the yard we've got vole holes in the tallish grass near the neighbor's fence. They're all aiming toward the neighbor's yard, so I bet they have more tall grass on the other side. You can even see some hamster size poops outside the hole on the right.

Now this is pretty cool. When I got the iris clumps from my dad they came with little tiny succulents that were long and stringy probably from the shade. I had them in the side yard all last year and they remained long and stringy (big surprise). I took a couple pieces and broke them off, and put them in the rocks. What do you know! They took and now I have a couple little succulent babies in full sun so they look much nicer, darker, and like little buttons. Hope they last the winter!

Unknown succulents hitchhiked from Ohio on some iris, now I have to identify them. Can't believe they are dark green and thriving in December here in central Indiana.

Rainy Day Off New Additions: Dwarf Mugo Pine and Tiny Invader

I'm having a nice rainy day off work, and it's starting to feel like Fall. I woke up to upper 50s, overcast, low humidity - it was splendid. I guess the weather got me in the mood to look for deals at Lowe's so after two cups of coffee, I grabbed my umbrella and strolled around the garden center for a bit.

My backyard is seriously lacking evergreen, so I wanted to get some kind of conifer. I had my eye on a dwarf mugo pine for a while, but I wasn't sure how big they'd get. There seems to be a lot of variety, anywhere from 5 feet to 10 feet tall and wide.

Pinus mugo var. pumilio

I also saw some color on the sale table and went to check it out. I found this Tiny Invader Asiatic Lily for Chris, because he loves his Asiatic Lilies and there was a gap I had to fill by the downspout. It's orange but not too orange, it has purple spots and magenta hue to it in certain light.

Lilium ‘Tiny Invader’

I put the Tiny Invader over by the downspout because it likes semi moist conditions. It still has one flower left on it, but other than that I'm basically saying "see ya next year" until it comes up again in the spring. I hope the colors don't clash with my other lilies - or I hope they come up at slightly different times so we have more weeks of color.

I was obsessing a little bit about my dwarf mugo placement. I wanted to put it by the patio, but I don't want it to take over. I mean, if it really gets up to 10 feet wide there's no way it can stay here. I watered it in, then changed my mind and moved it about 2 inches and watered it in again. It's trunk is lined up with the arborvitae on the other side of the patio - about 25 inches from the side of the house.

Adorable, I can see why people get obsessed and start collecting dwarf conifers

It's so tiny! My dad recommended naming it Milton the Mugo Pine

I got it in the ground and knew that I would keep dwelling on it until I moved it that extra 2 inches. I can almost see it with a 4-5 foot spread fitting perfectly. I'll have to keep an eye on the new candles and keep them tight.

It might take years to fill the space I've allowed for it, but I'd rather it grow into the space than immediately overwhelm the space. In the meantime maybe I can plant some annuals to finish the front of the border.

My dad also said I should watch out for little green caterpillars that eat the pine needles because they can clear a bush in days! Oh no!