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Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

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I Have A Thing For Bicolor Bulbs, Especially Tulips

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maintenance

Mowers

Handyman

Well, it’s been awhile since I have posted anything. In the meantime the grass has been growing, and my trustworthy John Deere 750 tractor mowing deck finally bit the dust. We have almost 4 acres to deal with, and subtracting the house, barn, outbuildings, etc., we have probably close to 3 acres to mow. When […]

maintenance+ the yard Handyman

Little By Little the House Is Built

Ilona Erwin

It is the little things, like Folksy Lady says, that add up. Handyman might not feel much is accomplished, but he has made so much progress on this place in the past few years that it really is amazing. And so much nicer for us all. We stopped at Lowes after our Labor Day hike […]

D-I-Yourselfers+ Handyman+ maintenance+ to-do list Ilona Erwin

Holiday Over: Time For Work Projects

Ilona Erwin

January is always a time to plan and get started on work projects for the year. I suggested to Handyman that he could set up a few of the small “finish up” jobs to work on throughout the winter months of January and February- he thought that was a good idea. The thing with these […]

D-I-Yourselfers+ maintenance+ nuisance jobs+ to-do list Ilona Erwin

We Are People Not Machines

Ilona Erwin

That is what I often say to my husband, the Handyman. He is one of those driven workers who puts his nose to the grindstone…. and I’m the flint who gives off the sparks, I guess. But I really think there is a deep truth in “to everything there is a season”. Just my idea […]

Handyman+ hindrances+ maintenance+ motivation Ilona Erwin

Updates from Handyman

Ilona Erwin

As my wife stated, we have not had much to report lately. One thing that we did do (that needed done) is to get some fresh gravel on our driveway. In the past we have gotten #57 which is a combination of #5 & #7, which is a larger more irregular gravel. Also have gotten […]

gravel driveway+ maintenance Ilona Erwin

Deck Maintenance 3

Ilona Erwin

This time with pictures. This picture shows the two levels of the back screen porch and the outside deck. The entry to the porch has been cleaned with deck cleaner, but not stained. The next picture is what the stained deck looks like. We haven’t done the rails or trellis in this photo, and that […]

maintenance+ mess+ the deck Ilona Erwin

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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.

Ilona Erwin: View My Blog Posts

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About The Plants

red daylilies

10 Best Perennial Plants for Anyone’s Garden

Dependable Blooms to Brighten Your Landscape Everyone wants a beautiful garden, but not everyone … [Read More...] about 10 Best Perennial Plants for Anyone’s Garden

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

I gathered up some expert gardening tips from around the web, from beginners to a few unusual … [Read More...] about 10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

more perennials

The thrilling expectancy of Spring is in the air and what better way to feed the anticipation than to visit the Central Ohio Home and Garden Show which opens this Saturday, February 28th? I am so excited to go this year. You have time to hop on over to a Home Depot store and get […]

flowering almond

Witch Hazel ushers in Spring On the whole, deciduous, flowering shrubs get short shrift in modern gardens. We know about lilacs and weigelas, perhaps, but are often discouraged from planting them given “lack of seasonal interest” as the rationalization for such advice. It is true that some of them shine only when in bloom. Flowering […]

Start Spring with a Big Pop of Color   Though the usual sequence is to plant the bulbs in the fall for bloom in the spring, some growers cheat the system by chilling those sold for spring bloom. This is necessary for Southern gardens which don’t get the required cold temperatures. Presented here are some […]

Garden advice

It is increasingly the Holy Grail of garden designs: making a landscape low maintenance. For many reasons, reducing the work load of our outdoor spaces has become a priority. We are busy with many activities We are aging Viewing flowers rather than weeding flowerbeds is preferable That is not the definitive list, by any means, […]

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