Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal




2011

Wrapping Up The 2011 Gardening Year

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Hello Dear Garden Loving Friends!

We are at the cusp of the year, and I greet you as garden-loving, rather than gardening, since some of us -as John so wisely remarked to me- have had a few barriers to doing as much as we might have wished in the garden this year. For some of us it is our health or the slowdown of age, for some it was the wild weather patterns that prove how little control we truly have. I suppose there are a whole spectrum in between, but whether we have have a banner year of bloom or a baneful one, we still remain those who love our world of beautiful gardens… something is always beautiful.

Ohio broke its precipitation record, and it has been rain, rain, all through fall and into December. We dug some post holes yesterday and the water table is very close to the surface. Postholes? In December you say? Yes! We have a new dog (story will follow), and he needs the sight barrier of a fence. So we are using a temporary snowfence along the back of the yard.

Hellebores, and Heavenly Weather

That brings me to the other point of fact: I gardened and did yard cleanup in December! And not my old Midwest Grit of ” gardening in any weather”, but with beautiful warm temperatures and comfortable garden conditions. For the first time, I had Christmas Roses (Hellebore niger, HGC ‘Jacob’) that bloomed beautifully in all its pure white glory. The rain and occasional frosts kept the flowers drooping, but they caught my eye from the window and I had to investigate. At first it seemed like white paper or a bag in the garden… but then I ventured out and saw their blooms! Caught in a picture for you.

I don’t know if you are a longtime reader, if so, you may remember the story of my Christmas Rose Hellebores …originally bought on sale as indoor plants and then put into the outside garden on the off-chance that they would survive. See my Christmas Roses indoor pictures here.

White dogs and white flowers to make up for the lack of that other white we wished for: a snowy Christmas.

The “Puppy”Our new “puppy” turned up on the doorstep right before Christmas. He was scraggly from rain and looked like he had taken a dunk in the ditch, looking forlorn and undernourished and BIG. No collar and no one who wanted to take him in. We decided to give him a chance, since we had wanted to get a dog for the past year. He looks and behaves like a textbook Great Pyrenees -except doesn’t bark so much as reputed. We have had five people voting on the name and it has been a real challenge to come to a consensus.

Right now I am calling this huge dog, “puppy”. My kids are used to naming the cats- and they come up with the most outlandish names possible, I have held out for something more dignified, since the dog is a serious guy. So far he behaves in the garden, but I expect some territorial marking signs on my bushes. Fairly benign with the scaredy cats, who perch on the roof and give him the eye. They are slowly back to their haunts as long as he is out of sight.

The Garden

This year the prairie patch proved to be an asset.

I did not plant new bulbs this year, although I had wanted to.

Was able to weed the entry way and the “Look Into Garden” reasonably well.

Compost pile and the vegetable garden will have to wait for spring to get in order.

Mulching will wait, didn’t get to it.

The bushes, including the pyracantha were put in shape, although I think I will reduce the firethorn even more this spring.

I look forward to the new growing season, and am going to put more of my plans together during January month- what about you?

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© 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Everything Is Late, But Coming Along

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Home in Late June

My main endeavor this summer has been to weed, since absent from the garden so long. While taking care of the vegetable plot, which if you will remember was planted hurriedly just before leaving town, I noticed some tomato fruits. Green, small to medium sized, but coming along. After all the rain you wouldn’t think I need to water, but they are in raised beds and it looks like I will need to give them a drink. Planted with a few pepper plants, which are not as far along as I’d like, but looking healthy, I gave the bed a dust mulch.

The Annabelle hydrangea is blooming her head off, one of the few things of note in my garden this year. In fact I can’t well contain her or get rid of her… she loves it here.

The bugs are intolerable, it makes work in the garden constrained to short increments of time. Sometimes the mosquitoes, sometimes little gnats that won’t leave your eyes alone. Maybe I should use swimming goggles to extend my worktime, what do you think? I do love weeding when it is hot and dry, though. It means sure death for those that are grubbed out. There was also some time spent pruning and trimming the spring flowering shrubs- better late than never, removing poison ivy from inside them…. hopefully will get to the roots later… once poison ivy gets a foothold it can be tenacious.

Many people, including myself, often dislike the chore of weeding, but as in housework, it isn’t the effort, but the result that is of such great satisfaction. To look over a freshly cleaned walkway, flower bed, or nicely trimmed shrubs makes for a good feeling… even when sticky with sweat and bothered by bugs. I don’t know how to translate that good feeling of being in touch with the earth, and yet playing a part in the care and control of it that makes gardening such a deeply passionate pastime. I know there is something of the happiness that comes from making the world, even a small corner of it a better place.

puppy-sitting

Visited Lake Erie

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© 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

June 2011 Report for Flatironed Acres

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Flatironed Acres is what I have decided to call this place because it looks like God took an old fashioned flatiron and smoothed it out without fold or wrinkle.

Some passing thunder rumbled, but it proved an empty threat of rain. I had taken note of it this morning and continued my efforts at reclaiming my gardens from weeds that had grown while I was gone for two weeks. Two weeks in the growing season and it might as well be two months! I’ve made good,sweaty progress however, and the lavender walk again looks like a feature instead of a sad mistake. The mosquitoes took advantage of my efforts under the Cameo quince bush, where the Quack grass loves to take hold.

I am puppy-sitting for my daughter, and Brutus is an energetic romper throughout the garden with frequent dives into the garden pond. He loves it when I’m pulling weeds- and tries to catch each handful that I throw backwards from my advance into the garden bed. Annoying only when he decides the garden fork is his sworn enemy and goes on semi-attack. I have to stop and speak sternly at that point. He found an errant tennis ball and is leaving me alone…for now.

I had one sad loss of the fir tree in the front yard. When I left for vacation it looked fine, when I returned it was ghastly orange and dead. I think it got too wet in the clay soil and I probably helped its demise with a deep mulch of hardwood chips. I didn’t volcano mound, but I think the roots were buried too deeply. My husband will need to get the chainsaw out.

The family of mowers (everyone except me) has been busy trying to control the tall grass prairie we’ve got going here.

The farmers have been out in force the last two days or so, and the field across the way is harrowed and planted. The smooth semi-sweet chocolate ground is a good sight to see.

Oh, and the roses and peonies are blooming.

Til later friends,
Ilona

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© 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Florida is Beautiful-and Dry, Very Dry

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From A Garden Journal, Diary of Ilona’s Garden

Looks like Ohio is getting everyone’s rain, but saw the terrible news about the tornadoes. I can only imagine the rainforest-like conditions that await me at home. Hopefully my little tomato plants are surviving- I left them protected by clay drain pipe, which is how I always plant them at the beginning. It protects them from wind and sunscald, and I haven’t had cutworm problems for the time I’ve used this method.

I might just get the veggie garden ready and plant for the second part of the season.

They have some pretty flowers blooming here, but not sure what they are, yet. The fields look pretty sad, but since I’m unfamiliar with how they are supposed to look it is unclear how sad they are!

Can’t seem to upload the photo card to the laptop, so I won’t post pictures until I’m back. At least I have a home to return to- our prayers are with those who don’t at this time.

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© 2010 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Rainiest Season Ever

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I talked with my husband in Ohio and it is still raining, and quite cool. He heard the farmers have only a small fraction of their fields planted with the corn crop. People aren’t able to keep up with the mowing either, although that is a lesser problem.

There are a number of problems for plants in wet, saturated ground. One problem is that roots need air to breathe and will actually drown when unable to dry out a little.

Another situation which arises from too much wet is the sappy growth of the stems and leaves. These can be inviting to insects in this vulnerable condition. Increased susceptibility to disease follows.

Such weather can be a challenge to our gardens on multiple fronts.

Usually we attempt prevention by providing good drainage. Hoping the water will run off, and preserving the general health of the plants is about all that can be done. Otherwise, just watch and wait.

In Ohio, we can still get plants in at this time and they will establish before the midsummer heat. I usually think of the last week in June as the very end of the season for planting annuals and new plants.

When I get back home I will be putting together some container pots for summer color.

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© 2010 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Rural Report Spring 2011

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Here in Ohio, we couldn’t wait for spring to get here. We complained about the long winter and the uncommonly frequent snowfall. We fairly longed for spring, more than the usual, and sent each other encouraging reminders and photos to keep each other’s spirits up.

And then Spring arrived… but not as we imagined or expected.

It came thundering, and whirling, and blowing. And with rain…. lots and lots of rain. Now we are reminding each other of summer….

How the fields looked in early March, behind my yard.

April field ponded

Same field in May

As you may imagine I have not been planting very much. Instead the chores have consisted of weeding and moving the occasional plant. I did manage to dig up the raised beds and get them ready this past week.

There were bouts of very cool weather and very warm weather. I took some pictures of the flowers. Spring is always nice in my yard… the flowering bulbs and trees performs no matter what happens with me and, to a certain extent, the weather.

Here are a few glimpses…

Snowdrift Crabapple

Oriental Beauty

Renown

Oh- and I almost forgot! An event I hadn’t seen in a long time… a cow got loose nearby. My son snapped a picture through the rearview window. We had stopped and talked to her a bit, then went to the neighbor to see if it belonged to them.She trotted safely into the next field, and ended up back in her fenced pasture.

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© 2010 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.