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Ilona's Garden Journal




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The Growing Season Review

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July looked best

You know how people like to summarize their year during December and especially at the turn of the year? Well, this is that time for Gardeners.

Premature you say? For me, I will yet again be absent from my garden and al that remains for me to do this year is planting and preparing for the next spring. The vegetable gardening will consist mainly of cleanup, and for some reason I am anticipating an early frost and onset of cold.

Every year for the past 7 or 8, I have been saying, promising, vowing to stay with my garden during the growing season. To be there when it most needs me, during planting in the spring, early summer weeding, and late summer harvest, and early fall planting.

I said that, and planned it in this year, 2014, as well.

What happened? I have little to report on except for what I didn’t do during the last part of the summer. My raised vegetable beds went to seed, the self seeded tomatoes took over the kitchen garden. And thistle invaded and made itself at home in the driveway beds.

Everywhere in my garden, the signs of neglect mock and jeer at my former promise of taking care of my garden plots this year.

Again, far more than any previous year, I put priority on spending my time in Atlanta with children and grandchildren. Not sorry, but having to pay the piper when it comes to many of my own plans. I have been there for more than two months over the summertime, in two visits.

The determination to make final headway in decluttering had also pushed aside the call of the flower beds, tending to trees and shrubs, and tidying the garden. And oh, I had started so enthusiastically, so diligently.

Yet, the inside of the house received far more of my time and efforts this summer. I managed to make real progress, and that is something I can’t regret! Cleared and renovated two bedrooms, cleared half the attic and assorted other spaces were given a lick and a promise.

Overgrown canes of Scotch roses and poison ivy were removed from the side of the house. what you don’t see are the piles of branches removed for the burn pile and the strands of poison ivy that was removed to what I call the “rot pile”.

What Do You Consider Success?

  • Are you happy to make headway on resolutions, or do you give up after giving it the old college try?
  • Do you need to attain perfection?   Does all else bow to the demand of this perfect accomplishment?
  • Do you tailor your life to smaller goals, so that the final results look better and the work is easier?
We probably all fluctuate between these three perspectives on success. Where we camp probably makes the finished picture.

In The Garden

Nature does not wait for our convenience, and fills in our absence with plantings and growth of its own making.

I would call this a year of mixed results and outcomes, in the garden and in life. But being an individual of rosy far-sighted vision,  I tend to make my decisions and priorities based on my belief that the short term sacrifices for long term goals will make the best choices. A year of weeds or even a decade of second class gardening is worth the exchange of showing the people in my life that they matter.

We each live with the choices we make, and spend the resources we have. The way that balances out in measurable benefit is not always discernible to those outside our own experience. I believe we must make our peace with that fact.

….And there is always next year.


Successes in My Garden

  • Cucumbers! I grew lovely, delicious cukes this year.
  • Sunflowers and wildflowers. The sunflowers reseeded, and american Meadows supplied seed for some pretty wildflower patches.
  • Trimmed and kept a few areas of the garden well, they will be easy to renovate this fall.
  • Had pretty Spring flowers.
  • Cleared long neglected side garden of poison ivy and overgrowth this past June/July
  • Enjoyed some of the loveliest summer weather in memory, here in Ohio.
  • Removed winter losses without too much sorrow.
Failures are many. Most are of the omission type.
The Beauty Bush came into its own in June
There were small joys here and there, heucheras!
pink petunias by the driveway
loved the pinks

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© 2014 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

The Garden Year Perspective

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The whole point of making plans is to gain perspective, isn’t it? To figure out what we are going to do, in what order we will do it, and what we hope to accomplish with all that effort.

Garden planning is no different.

Since I’ve gotten older and many of my priorities have shifted, the way I plant my garden has also changed. I used to carefully plot out the garden pictures in borders and order my plants and seeds in January, then start seeds in late February, and begin a mad gluttony of planting, plant buying, and long workdays in spring. The gardens would be beautiful. Now, I have many trips outside the state to visit family, and to take the vacations that make up for the complete lack during my childraising years. Those were lean years, and a direct cause of why I spent so much time in the garden: gardening was inexpensive (I slow gardened and divided and seeded my way to gaining garden plants), home-centered, relatively permanent accomplishment (compared to the time my floors remained clean). I had strength and energy resources that I do not have now.

Now I have restrained my borders to much smaller spaces around the house and use containers for desired color.

I am not starting seeds this year, once again.

I refuse to feel guilty about letting my local businesses let their greenhouses do the work.

I also tend to stick to the plan that I cannot buy more plants until I have completely planted those I purchased. It restricts my gardening, but then it reduces my guilt over wastefulness.

I have decided that I’m going to give the vegetable garden a go again, with improvements. This year I think I will lime the beds. I don’t usually, but I think it will improve the veggies.

I also want to cover crop some parts with nemotode repelling marigolds. It will be pretty and might make the ground good for brassicas again.

After traveling so much last year, the plan is to be home more this year, which will be good for my garden. A garden needs tending, consistently and diligently. But such chores offer an opportunity to think, to find the restorative comforts of natures, and to get in touch with the soil, plants, and listen to bird song. I find that this is more of what I want in my life this year.

My plans have become more vague and less of something that you put to paper. They are made of dreams and of past memories that urge me to participate in the garden work not so much for the outcome, but more for the moment.

And that is my plan.

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Visit Ilona’s Garden Journal on facebook: Click here
© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.