The Garden I Have Made

Viburnum and Redbud flowers

Ilona’s Actual Garden

Located in the Central part of the state of Ohio, on what was originally wet tallgrass prairie.

This landscape is so flat I’ve nick-named it “Flat-iron Acres”.

  • The soil is predominately a dark gray Kokomo soil, which is a rich loamy clay.
  • It is perfect for growing grass, not so much for trees, but I grow trees anyway.
  • Wet in spring, dry with drought in late summer, and always windblown. The winters can be quite cold, usually with little snow cover.
  • For acres and acres, trees are gone from the landscape to make way for corn and soybean fields.

The general taste is for neatly kept farmhouses, but suburbia is creeping out, even here.

 

the brown landscape

The brown landscape after harvest, in November is the time to look at the essence of a garden.

 

In the midst of this I have made my garden, and it has molded me in many ways, as well.

This Place

Rural in situation, the winds sweep over long expanses of fields Here, the farmers usually grow corn and soybea, but sometimes wheat, or alfalfa hay. Vegetables are grown in private plots, traditionally attached to the front of the property, near the house in this Amish Mennonite settled area. I adhere to the “city style” I grew up with: vegetable gardens are located in the backyard of the house.

Soil

Our soils are very dry during the latter part of the summer, and often stay wet in the early spring. (This is despite the diligent farmers putting in miles of drainage tiles, grassed swales, and deep ditches).

The soils are neutral in pH, but something makes the land alkaline enough that acid loving plants don’t do well here.

My Grand Garden Idea

My country garden,by the pond

My country garden

I started out with a grand idea of having an English garden. For a number of years this effort was successful in producing that lushly gardened look. It was a style unsustainable as I grew older.

English style gardens are work intensive.

Gardening Requires Time and Energy

After the ravages of time, climate, and my own waning powers to put in the work, this garden matured and changed, just like me. The perennial spaces are limited, the shrubs and trees have grown and filled in, and the groundcovers have, well, …covered quite a bit of ground!

What remained the same were my choices for fragrance continuing to sweeten the air and rejoice my heart. Hummingbirds and butterflies visit. Birds like mixed planting areas, and this  makes me love this garden, even more. Avian visitors are greatly encouraged.

Photos of My Garden

The Landscape Emphasis Now

I still like to collect plants. I renewed my interest in the vegetable portion of the garden, as well. So, if you would like gardening tips, design ideas, and the resulting experience of my Ohio garden, come right into the pages, we can converse on twitter or the Facebook page . Howbeit, if I’m out in the garden I might be a little slow to notice and answer- just poke me again!

I decided against comments here, but the garden journal is the place I always check for conversations and try to respond to those kind enough to leave their comments.

Views Of My Garden Through The Years

Gardens continually change. Many of my former views or plants are no longer here, or have changed considerably.

Photos bring the best of years and accomplishments to mind. These photos are linked to articles I’ve written, based on what I have grown.

A Gallery of Photos and Articles

  • red bud tree

    The Redbud is an understory tree

  • young Magnolia Jane

  • My morning glory trellis

  • The Lilac bench; how to grow lilacs

    The Lilac bench

  • blooms in the air

    Grown on my trellis

  • Prairiefire

  • Autumn leaves

  • peegee hydrangea

    H. tardiva

  • My big fat bulbs

  • Catherine Woodbery daylily

    Catherine Woodbery daylily

  • lavender hedge

  • purple leaved shrub branch

    Diablo ninebark

  • Bloody Cranesbill

    Hardy Geranium

  • wild geranium

    A wild part

  • darwin tulips

    Large size bulbs produce large flowers

  • Lots of leaves

  • Pink flowers this year

  • Baby Tiger Lilies

  • Yellow flowers this year

  • Midsummer walk

  • Walk, when weeded

  • Bowl of Beauty Peony

    Peony, Paeonia lactiflora, under the weeping crabapple.

  • German iris Beaux Art

  • Porch hanging plant

  • spring blooming bush

    Dream Catcher Beauty bush

  • my pinks didn't stay

  • blue flowers

    Blue and purple year

  • Bloom, bud, and seedhead

  • Tulipa 'Renown' has returned well for several years.

  • The rose in bloom

    Blanc de Double de Coubert

  • Naturalized Muscari and Puschkinia

  • hellebores

    Hellebore niger

  • April daffodils

    daffodils remain, juniper gone

  • pink daffodils

    pink daffodils

  • my mother's gift

  • stone walk

    work in progress

  • limestone walk

    Before the great renovation, The Lavender Walk

  • walkway

    garage veggie garden once

  • Vining geranium

  • Virginia Bluebells

    Mertensia virginica

  • golden horde

  • Full moon

    Full moon

  • tulips

    Ivory floradale

  • Pinkcup Daffodils

    Pinkcup Daffodils

  • Pyracantha in bloom, usually grown for fall berries.

  • rugosa

    Therese Bugnet

  • autumn berries

    Pyracantha berries

  • alberta spruce

    Alberta/Hinoki cypress

  • alchymist rose in my garden

    Alchymist Rose

  • old fashioned rose

    Reine de Violettes

  • White spruce

  • magnolia stellata, star magnolia

    M. Stellata

  • Magnolia stellata

  • Driveway in a good year

  • Therese Bugnet roses

  • Newly done walk

  • The first Lavender hedge renovation

  • Chionodoxa patch

  • Chionodoxia

  • Cornus kousa

    Cornus kousa

  • sweet cherry tree

    Sweet Cherry

  • peony and dames rocket

    peony and dames rocket

  • Chamaecyparis obtusa with Tulipa 'Renown'

  • Door garden hydrangea

    Endless Summer is pink for me

  • variegated geranium

    The Hinoki cypress

  • 2010 rainbow

    To The East

  • Sweet Gum

  • fringe tree

    Fringe Tree color

  • autumn tints

    Driveway autumn

  • moss phlox in the garden

    Driveway spring

  • outside the window

    Early years

  • willow in spring

    Weeping Willow

  • work springtime

    work springtime

  • clay loam

    Basil lined the walk one year

  • field

    My view to the south

  • container and lavender walk

    container and lavender walk

  • flower baskets

    shade hanging baskets

  • planter for shade

    planter for shade

  • Scented purple planter

  • Blushing Lady tulips

    Mugo pine highlights tulips

  • Christmas Rose

    My plants in the window

  • garden view

    young Prariefire

  • winter scene

    garden bones in winter

  • Viburnum carlesii

  • The pine protagonist of my story

  • perennial border

    Old picture of my Perennial border

  • It got away from me!

  • plumbago

  • shirley poppies

    Shirley Poppies in my Garden

  • Willows are graceful trees

  • magnolia stellata

    Magnolia stellata buds in spring

 

In the site I try as much as possible to use my own garden and plants as illustration. Sometimes the pictures were taken in parks and botanical gardens, etc. to give my readers a feel for how gardens in Ohio may look and grow. I love that I have these photos, because gardens change over time, and it is wonderful to capture special plants or when the garden looked especially nice.

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