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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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chickens

Thoughts from the Deep Freezer

Ilona Erwin

It is a normal weather pattern for central Ohio to plumb the depths of single digit temperatures with little or no snow. It is equally expected for gardeners to go into planning mode during the deep freeze of January. Reviewing the last year has made me realize that I’m more prone than ever to the […]

An Armchair Gardener+ the rural story Ilona Erwin

Chickenhawk Attack!

Ilona Erwin

Bantam chickens

Yes, things have gotten exciting around here, and not in a good way. Yesterday I was working on my blogs, when the distressed squawking of my poor Bantams got my slow, old body coming to the rescue. Just in time to see a really large hawk front, center, and personal in the general area of […]

the rural story Ilona Erwin

Thought of Raising Peafowl?

Ilona Erwin

You can raise your own peacock – Facts about these beautiful and useful birds That’s right, Peacocks! Or peahens, actually…. Breeds available are the Indian or Blue Peafowl, Pavo cristatus, or the Javan or Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus. The Green is considered the more beautiful, but the Blue is hardier. The adults do well on […]

the rural story Ilona Erwin

My Rural Life

Ilona Erwin

My husband and I bought and started homesteading this place in the mid 1980’s. I had no skills, and plenty of dreams. I never managed to have that flock of sheep I envisioned, but instead raised a flock of children. That became my main crop. We all worked hard. I sure wish we had used […]

Day in the life+ My Place+ spring Ilona Erwin

Finally. I Have Chickens

Ilona Erwin

Bantam chickens

It had been years since I had chickens, and I said for the past three to four years that, “This year I’ll get chicks”, but something always intervened in my plans. Well, no more! I now have a new little chicken coop (a bit flimsy, but it will do), half a dozen pullets, and one […]

Day in the life+ the rural story 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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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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