the garden file

Task Rollover

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Divide and move Daffodils after bloom
Divide the 'Jack Frost' Brunnera for increase
Get some alpine strawberries growing again
Try out the seed bomb idea
Add two additional raised beds, clean up the present ones
Add soil to the old raised beds of small bulbs
Transplant the self seeded
Caryopteris × clandonensis

Assessment Time in Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:42:00 +0000

There are times in the year's procession when you look back, and then look forward. New Years, January 1 is one of those times, but for the gardener, the end of the growing season is surely one as well.

My vegetable garden was a bust this year. I did not harvest even the poor crops I had growing. Even the Swiss chard which grew back strongly on its own accord went unused, although I think I could harvest some yet, for delicious addition to quiche, if I wish.

I pulled out and trimmed down the 'Cameo' chaenomeles, quince bush. I was too tired to try and replant, same goes for the Annabelle hydrangea I unceremoniously grubbed out from its space. It's crime? It was shading the lower part of my prized hinoki gracilis. I allow nothing to mess with the health and wellbeing of my hinoki cypress.

I planted some new starts of the bonfire Euphorbia where I had pulled out the quince and a huge amount of quackgrass. Because of its nature I will be fighting the quackgrass roots next year, too. But I hope the Euphorbia takes hold and protects the lily bulbs from rodent damage.

I had a poison ivy reaction for the first time in my life- due to pulling out a cartload during the heat of summer. I still have lots to pull out. Increased bird visits seem to have resulted in a number of bird disseminated plants. Everyone else here is so highly allergic so that it is my sole responsibility to get rid of the poison ivy. And it seems to love it here.

I would love to try and get some bulbs in at the last minute...and make some seed bombs during the time when work in the garden is unpleasant.

The windstorms did terrible things to my still new green house. My husband put things back together to try anew this coming year. Thanks, honey!

June Chores

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:50:00 +0000

If you don't weed now, the weeds will get too much of a hold. Don't let them go to seed.

After rains, the grass weeds are easiest to pull, the thistles the worst. Sunny days better for dandelion and thistle pulling and shuffle hoeing.

Notes About Last Season

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:02:00 +0000

I noticed my list from last year, things I hoped to get done by August 2010. Now that I am going into growing season 2011, where does my garden stand?

I had accomplished #1,2,4,5,7,10 last year. This spring I have finished #3 (although that pyracantha could use still more pruning-it was wayyyy out of hand), and #6.

move all the shasta daisies out of the east flower bed.✔
move the echinacea✔
severely trim back the pyracantha✔
divide Caramel heuchera for increase✔
move the Russian sage to sunnier location✔
take out the brick edge from the pyracantha bed✔
plant the Japanese maple✔
divide the Jack Frost brunnera for increase
extend the plant area beside the hot tub fence
cut back bugnet rose✔

Not too bad, considering how decrepit I seem to have become compared to twenty years ago when I would have barreled through all that and done more besides. Ah, how little I appreciated my youth at the time!

I created a prairie bed of sorts from the plants I relocated, although Shasta daisies and daffodils do not grow in prairies, not real ones! I guess this is like Japanese gardens most of us think of planting, we want the impressionistic atmosphere rather than adhering to the genuine components. Mine is a simple country garden, after all.

It will soon be time to make my new set of goals for this years garden.

Future Present

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:17:00 +0000

Finally started raining and now Ohio is inundated. Cliche about pouring rain.... anyway I really put off the garden with so much family and inside work. Oh well, there is still open ground. Going to keep the Japanese maple in the garage like I did with the lace one last year. I found the Jackpot tulips. Why do I wait until the nastiest weather to work in my garden...must be some sort of self flagellation.

This year was one of the greatest fruit production years that I've seen in all my gardening time here in my flatland rural place. And little to no Japanese beetles!

I will be making plans for the next year's garden at the beginning of 2011. I'll also be making some video for the garden journal; made some trial videos just to see how it is done.

Garden Buying

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:07:00 +0000

The other day I went to Lowes and came home with a bag of diatomaceous earth, Japanese maple and Black Lace elderberry shrubs, and some other assorted sale plants. Then it heated up again and I have not been working in the garden to plant them. I had just finished putting a Japanese maple held over from last year in to its Place. ( Long story summarized... couldn't figure out good place to plant and kept it in the garage over winter, outside in container over summer... now finally in the earth)

I have so much to do, but was very encouraged with help from my husband and kids in clearing out weeds .... and as a bonus cleaning out the garage. God is good to me... and my family was too!

It is so hot and dry here. I am looking forward to the more fall like temperatures that I hope are coming ( and bringing rain with them!).

Perennial To-Do List

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:14:00 +0000

At the end of August, I want to accomplish this list.

move all the shasta daisies out of the east flower bed.
move the echinacea
severely trim back the pyracantha
divide Caramel heuchera for increase
move the Russian sage to sunnier location
take out the brick edge from the pyracantha bed
plant the Japanese maple
divide the Jack Frost brunnera for increase
extend the plant area beside the hot tub fence
cut back bugnet rose

I also want to:

move the hostas from under the mugo pine
plant tulips at the west of the steps
move the crambe cordifolia FINALLY
transplant what is left of the plume poppies in the driveway bed

this is what happens while we are involved with other things

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:36:00 +0000

I posted these photos on the FB page for IGJ. I planted some birdhouse gourds from last years seeds, since I really wanted to try them. I knew they would get big, but....wow.

My garden walk is all finished and things are growing on all sides.... under my lavish gourd foliage is the crop of banana peppers. I need to get them harested and see if the gourds can be trained in a different direction.

I really hope all those blossoms mature into birdhouse gourds! The basil plants are also smothered underneath the gourd plant. I should have done some vertical gardening with this plant!

New Tulips

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Jackpot

I came across the name of a tulip I hope to find for planting this fall.Don't know where I will put it, but will find room somewhere , if source for bulbs are found. This post will be for updating with other tulips I'm interested in.

"Jackpot - a fine, late tulip" Beautiful dark maroon red with a pure white edge.

Been On Task

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:27:00 +0000

Well, the garden walk is finished, and I got the peppers and basil all planted...then put in some seeds.

It has heated up here so fast that I don't know how the garden will do this year. so far everything looks lush- but then I always love the garden in June! Hopefully I keep up with the watering.

Weeding,Weeding,Weeding

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Sun, 23 May 2010 07:36:00 +0000

As can be imagined with all the rain and warm weather we are having the weeds are having their day. and night and week.... I finally got out into the garden to work and assess what needs to be done. Also had some plants left to get into the ground or containers.

Jobs Finished

Put together more containers than any other year.
Mowed quite a bit already, and it looks like I need to try to get out there again.
The back vegetable garden is too wet to till, but needs to be weeded
Thyme is growing well within the greenhouse, trying to start a few new patches
Still didn't get the other raised beds- Handyman has moved on to other projects- don't want to nag
Pulled out lots of Shasta daisies- need to find a place to put them.
Burning the tree trimmings ( there were lots of branches)
Put more rocks in the rock pile feature at the entry, and weeded it

What Still Needs To Be Done ....in a pressing way ( we can't write out EVERYTHING!)

Fences need mending- many boards are now missing in various places
Hang wall fountain
Quince Shrubs need attention. Suffered some dieback.

Blog Stuff
The rainy weather also gave opportunity to write some new articles for the Ilona's Garden site.

And I changed the template for IGJ, while keeping up with posts. Two installments of the series on Garden Center reviews for Central Ohio. I still have many photos to publish though. Posted some on the Facebook page.

Down the Garden Path

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:14:00 +0000

Latest Project

The latest project in the garden has been installing the vegetable garden path. Serving several purposes, not the least of these to make an easy access to the greenhouse and pretty up this garden space. After the rains subside I'll put in the far side brick trim, and then Handyman can be persuaded to take time from his many demands to create the retention board rail.

You can see some of the lettuce which needs to be thinned to provide some baby lettuce salads, and the newly planted basil.

Garden Path

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:37:00 +0000

The present project has been making a permanent path through the old vegetable garden. Dual purpose is to service garden beds and access the green house more easily. I finally moved the Dream Catcher Beauty Bush from it's holding place, and it is planted over by the deck, now.

The pathway will connect to one made previously that runs from the driveway to the back of the house, made up of 1 foot square aggregate pavers. We were hoping to keep continuity of look by getting more of those. But guess what? They are not to be had. The last few days we have gone to all the usual places: Lowes, Home Depot, Nurseries, etc. What happened to this size in the aggregate paver? They have round ones, but I need the squares.

We will continue to look around for a day or so, but then I guess I will have to choose another type. Not happy about that.

The path has been dug out, Handyman will be going to the quarry to get buckets of sand, and then we will put in the pavers. The rains have made the area a bit more wet than desired for such work. The soil is so nice in that area and I don't want to compact it. I only have the Swiss chard and lettuces planted there right now.

I'll post on progress.

Spring Chores and Observations

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:31:00 +0000

Spring time always has plenty to do- the amount of work can seem daunting if you look at the long list of things. Spring cleaning in the house, seasonal clothing changes, and in the garden: weeding, seeding, digging, pruning, getting out all the garden you stored last fall!

Since I've been working steadily the past week on various things, I have a list to post.

further weeded in garden beds, and in the garage-side vegetable patch
decided that the front garden is past saving for perennials- will have only grass and shrubs there.
dug up the Lenten hellebores and transplanted
weeded around the Wm Baffin rose
removed all the wayward sprouts that the lilac by the walk produced
filling up the raised bed with soil
pulled out horrendous poison ivy that is entrenched by the old shed. More to do.

Noticed around the yard:

Reseda reseeded- wonder what type it was now
lettuce and chard has sprouted
lilac buds ready to open
new tulips blooming- didn't write down the name
Jack Frost Brunnera has pretty forget-me -not type blooms now
Mertensia is blooming
Basket of Gold is blooming
Sweet cherries and now sour cherries in bloom
Texas Scarlet quince is having best year yet
M. stellata holding onto petals, but a bit ragged with the heat and wind
Soil is somewhat dry for this time of year
I don't think any of my tomatoes sprouted. I was disappointed.
I should have planted them the old fashioned way. peat pellets never worked well for me
Green house is too hot- 115 degrees according to the thermometer
my Hellbore niger plants bloomed very well and proved they are garden worthy.
Tulips are all coming on at once- some of the daffodils still blooming
snipped off old daff heads

Garden BLOG Tasks

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:55:00 +0000

Since I blog alot, the writing and webmastering has its own set of tasks. I changed things around with the templates on Blogger and find that the code for the blogrolls is broken. Uhoh. don't know how long that has been a problem. I used to use my blogrolls all the time, but now use the browers favorites instead. Still, I wanted to have links to other blogs. That is moot when the script doesn't work, eh!

Find out why and fix the collapsible links in the template.
Now the read more link doesn't show at all. go back to the drawing board

Tasks for weekend -April 9, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:12:00 +0000

I've been puttering around the garden and looked at the mugo pines. After removing some branches that had gotten straggly due to my neglect (I let some clematis vine grow over and shade out a few branches), I noticed the candles are beginning to form. This new growth is what I need to trim back to prune the mugo to shape. Not hard to do, and looks like they may be ready either this weekend or sometime next week.

Tip trim candles on Mugo Pine
How-to for others who have this on their list.

Have the hole dug, but still need to move the Beauty Bush.
Link for Beauty bush, 'Dream catcher'.

Rainy week ( it is raining today) means delay in filling the raised vegetable bed with soil. Maybe I can talk Handyman into making another frame for me.

I will plant some seeds, since I found my stash and it is time to put morning glory, etc. into the ground. Hardy and Half hardy seeds are safe to plant now I think.

Moving Plants Around, Etc

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:47:00 +0000

I need to move perennials out of the front bed
Still need to move the Beauty Bush from its holding area and make the step stone path to the greenhouse
Held the Japanese maple over winter in a container, must find a protected spot to plant it soon ( before the end of 04-30-10
Mulch driveway beds
Regravel driveway this year
Prune the overgrown pyracantha
Remove old Sand Cherry, consider planting a new one.

1 Raised Bed Frame Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:31:00 +0000

My Handyman (aka husband) was reusing old barn boards for making raised beds in the revived vegetable garden. I requisitioned those for the outdoor shelf idea. Now I have some shelves next to the greenhouse area for various pots and paraphernalia, and one (instead of two) of the raised bed frames made for the vegetable garden.

It has rained, so there is a slight delay in filling the bed with soil, but all in good time.

I need at least two more to be constructed for the spring, and perhaps two more over the summer... if other projects and travels don't intervene in the plans.

Blog Change

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Since Blogger in Draft added pages to blogs I no longer need this as a file for Ilona's Garden Journal. However, not one to waste things, I will turn this blog into my own personal planning blog. Everything FUTURE. With my to-do list, wish lists, whatever my busy little mind wants to think up for personal garden projects.

From Ilona's Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:43:00 +0000

Quicklinks
to Plants:

Heliotrope
Hostas
Hinoki Cypress
Lavender
Starfire Phlox
Sweet Woodruff
Irises
Lamium Maculatum
Christmas Plants

to Styles:

English Garden Style
New American Garden Style
Cottage Garden Style
Herb Garden Style
Serenity Garden Style

to Garden Techniques:

Garden Calender
Winter Gardening Tips
Autumn Gardening Tips

Garden News

Miscellany

noreply@blogger.com (Ilona) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:19:00 +0000

Odds and Ends of Garden Related Posts

Bloom Where You Are Planted
Gifting the Gardener
Top 10 Ohio Gardener's Destinations
September Poetry
Storm Fear, Robert Frost
Solace of the Garden
April Wedding Flowers
Wedding Flowers
After The Fact: Our Daughter's Wedding
Garden Transitions: Aging
Garden Child's Play
Gardening is Exercise
Making A Garden Journal
Print Your Own Garden Journal
Garden Magazines
Tolkien Ents