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Ilona's Garden Journal

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May

Sweet Scents Of Spring Arrive With The Lily Of The Valley

Ilona Erwin

A Nosegay of Lily of the Valley One of the joys of this time of year is the scent of the beds of Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis. The fragrance is embedded in my memory from early years. These small, milky white bells arrayed long the delicate stem give out a slightly musky perfume […]

May+ Plants+ Spring Bulbs Ilona Erwin

Spring Pinks 2011

Ilona Erwin

There are so many shades of pink in the spring, they stand out against all the intense green and are luminously in harmony with the heavenly blue skies. This year the blooms were a bit late and held tight buds for longer than usual. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ © 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An […]

Landscape Design Know-How+ May Ilona Erwin

Just a Short ‘What’s Up’

Ilona Erwin

Just dropping in to let all my blog friends know that I have not forgotten about them or posting in my blog… it is just the fact that it is spring! I have been outside gardening (hope you will forgive me for that;) until my body aches, off to plant stores, and even helping out […]

2010+ May+ spring Ilona Erwin

May Colors

Ilona Erwin

Here are some color scheme ideas for the late May bloom period in Ohio and similar zone 5a climates. The photos may be seen larger if you click on them.

2009+ Garden photos+ May Ilona Erwin

More of my Garden

Ilona Erwin

On the left are meshed pictures of the back walk made of pavers and the front walk of freeform limestone. Upper right is a picture of a just planted container with the Lemon Symphony osteospermum, middle are two views of Arenaria montana growing along the arbor walk. Last, is a part shade container grouping of […]

2009+ Garden photos+ May Ilona Erwin

Dawes: Wildflowers in May

Ilona Erwin

a number of wildflowers were blooming during this time: lots of claytonias, trilliums, some Jack-in-a-pulpits, Dodecatheon meadia (shooting star),pussy-toes, many mayapples, common yellow violets in quantity, and lots of common purple violets. Be sure to see Gardens in Ohio.

2009+ May 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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