Welcome

the gardener — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:26:55 +0000

From the Ground Up:
An Ohio Garden

Creating your own landscape

Hi! I’m Ilona- yes, there is a real “Ilona“, and I have a real garden.

Since the 1970’s I have been interested in creating a home landscape and all things pertaining to gardening. It’s something I am never tired of, although at times I’ve worked ’til I could work no more.

I thought that there might be other gardeners out there that would like the landscaping shortcut of an “over the fence” online resource in making their own gardens. So I started creating pages in the old website, ‘Ilona’s Reflecting Pool‘ (1998) to jot down my ideas on designing and growing my idea of a “planted place”. Loving everything about this pastime, I put together articles about combining “pictures” as Gertrude Jekyll would say, and learning about different types of design styles; all the things that had intrigued me in this growing passion.

There are many new pages popping up around here all the time, see the Plant Profiles page with all the new posts on specific plants.

“We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden.”

Quickfind

Plant Profiles
Garden Journal:
Hardiness Zone Lookup Tool
What’s New?
Garden Sundries Supply
Archive of All Pages

You can have a better garden if you:

improve your soil – I experimented and researched and now I want to share all that! In quest of a good garden?
plant in harmony with your land -finding the “spirit of your place”
choose the right plants for your soil and climate- if you need detailed information on particular plants check the ‘Plant Highlight‘ pages, with description, growing requirements, and fun facts.

Gardening is fun and it something that welcomes all levels of interest and ability. You start with those three points above, and then you just might find yourself branching out into designing and experimenting with plants, creating your own unique environment. Your home and all the extensions of it, whether the yard or your houseplants, all influence your feeling of well being and that of those around you. Sometimes it is surprising how much! Dig further into the site for inspiration and ideas:

Three-part Site

seasonal spot:
Roses to grow in cold climates for hardy choices and tips on care. More on roses…

You’ll find:

The articles about garden design and styles, growing information and plant profiles are all in this part of the site.
The Gazebo, a portal to news and my collection of the best garden links.
Since 2004, I have recorded what happens in my own garden in my Garden Blog. It is a connection to the garden blogging community, and updated several times a week. Now, there is a shortcut page of links to the best of the blog: the Garden File.

The purpose of this site:

Creating your dream of what a yard should be? I’d love to help you with landscape ideas and planting information. All parts of this site are geared towards sharing the experience of joy that digging into the earth can provide.

First time here? More of the WELCOME page to help you find your way around;a short introduction to me and my garden, too.

Like my page? buy me a coffee :)

No related posts.

Coreopsis Verticillata

the gardener — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:05:56 +0000

This Coreopsis used to be on every ‘top perennials’ list when I started out gardening some thirty years ago. It has changed alot through breeding efforts, and here is my assessment from how it has fared in my Ohio garden.

The original recommended type, C. verticillata ‘Golden Showers‘ is the plant that I would include in my top perennials list today.

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'

Native to the United States, blooms are arrayed on loose clusters called cymes. The leaves are very finely segmented on strongly vertical stalks. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9, with height of 3 ft. and spread of 2 ft. verticillata translates as “arranged in whorls”

The common name, “Cut and Come Again” refers to the fact that this plant responds to a good haircut every once in awhile. Shearing plants in mid-summer (early August) will result in more golden flowers from a burst of rejuvenated blooming. So cut all you want for bouquets – it makes a very nice cut flower.

Situating the C. verticillata in naturalized areas, wild gardens, or cottage gardens is commendable because of its free blooming and easy care, while it won’t overrun the garden. It has a form and habit that is at home in those informal styles, but is equally useful in more formal landscapes, used as a solid block of longlasting color. I think it is one of the most desirable secondary plants- the only thing that might count against it is the very strong yellow hue, if you want to have a more sublime colored garden. For most people the cheerful yellow is a plus.

Grow it in

dry to medium wet, well-drained soil
in full sun
thrives in poor, sandy or rocky soils with good drainage
tolerant of heat, humidity and drought
spreads by rhizomes, but not invasive

I grow this in a sunny, gravelly place, and propagate it from little rooted sections taken from the mother plant. I’ve never had it reseed itself.

coreopsis in garden

I’ve tried growing many of the desirable hybrid types, including ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Limerock Ruby’. These disappeared for me, and I have wondered whether they are as hardy as the Golden Showers type, or whether they are more susceptible to the wet soils or heaving over winter. So far, they act more like annuals than perennials, and that has been very disappointing. Perhaps I should try them where the ‘Golden Showers’ has done so well in the gravel pocked soil of my driveway.

I do love the colors in these variations, the ‘Moonbeam’ blends beautifully in a pastel themed garden, and the beautiful dusky orange in my driveway planting is going to be sorely missed if I don’t get a replacement.

dusky purple and apricots