• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy

2014 Garden Retrospective

03.01.15 | Ilona Erwin | 2 Comments

American Meadows had sent me some seeds. They bloomed well, but I didn’t get many pictures of them. I was neglectful of the garden, while visiting family for almost 2 months.

In many ways, the garden season of 2014 was challenging. The losses were probably the result of cumulative stresses, but I am sure that the very hard winter contributed to the vulnerability and subsequent losses.

I hope my Hinoki cypress survives another year, but it lost its top portion to disease.

I lost an Arborvitae to the worst bagworm infestation I have ever seen. Nothing I did stemmed the ultimate denuding and death of the young tree.
On the plus side of my year, the cucumber crop was spectacular.

Flowers planted in the vegetable garden flourished, and my herbs did well. I learned that Cilantro springs up readily, reseeding itself.

This time, I’ll let some photos tell their own story.

Little Princess Spirea, blooms reliably every year. Looks best at the beginning of the season, then stays in the background.

 

One of my pink peonies.

 

I loved these geraniums and Swedish ivy on the porch. Trying to keep them alive through the winter.

 

Last winter was so long and so cold. Here, the garden has scant snow cover.
My cucumbers were delicious, thanks to regular rain throughout the summer.

This summer was unusual,too. I wonder if Ohio has “normal” anymore! Our grass stayed green and needed mowing clear through to fall, none of the usual dormant, dried brown period that we usually experience in late summer. This may have contributed to fungal disease on the Chamecyparis obtusa.

The Beauty Bush, ‘Dreamcatcher’ bloomed in keeping with its name this year.
Some pink petunias in a pot by the driveway.

 

Surprised by the self seeded black “sweet potato” vine.

My purple leaved fennel reseeds every year, and it comes up strongly in the areas where it has established itself, but the burnished leaves of the Sweet potato vine were a surprise. Perhaps snow cover made the difference?

I picked up some pink petunias and put them in a broken pot with Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix. They bloomed like crazy all summer. We had more rain than usual and I didn’t have to water the pot at all. I wouldn’t normally expect to get away with that, but this year was different. Even though I had bought some “Flexable” hoses that made watering a cinch. I loved them.

Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ begins to look tatty later in the season

I love variegated leaves- to a fault, but in the semi-shade, Jack Frost Brunnera gives a good show, long after the forget-me-not blue flowers are gone.

As I look forward to the coming year, I hope to divide some of my favorite plants, like this one, and make a few more.

Looking forward to the spring and a new gardening year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit Ilona’s Garden Journal on facebook: Click here
© 2014 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

← Previous Post
Rural Landscape
Next Post →
New Year, New Look, New Plans

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. RobinL says

    January 13, 2015 at 12:27 am

    I’ve been enjoying retrospectives of last year on many garden blogs today, and it’s like talking a lovely garden walk in the middle of winter. I agree with you on Ohio’s crazy weather. I’ve lived here about 11 years, and I still have no idea what normal is!

  2. EL Team says

    January 27, 2015 at 4:38 am

    Even though you’ve said gardening is quite hard on you last 2014, judging by the photos you still had done a great job! You have wonderful variety and the colours are stunning.

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit for a Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day in January

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Instagram post 17935013548845771 Instagram post 17935013548845771
Instagram post 17981374354427684 Instagram post 17981374354427684
Instagram post 17865517706595888 Instagram post 17865517706595888
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Join Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut