Say It With Some Aloha! Are you familiar with the colorful, often fragrant world of Hawaiian flower tropicals ? Have you seen Bird of Paradise blooms outside your window, or plucked a Plumeria blossom from a tree for tucking beside your ear? One doesn’t need to live in the tropics to use these exotic blossoms…
HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
I’m not ready to write this post, but I must start somewhere. It is part explanation, part apology, part a ploy for commiseration. This is not a farewell post. No, I just signed up for two more expensive years of hosting. Yes, that was a bit of a grouse, but when I tell you about…
February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
I’ve had plenty of winter this year, yessiree. It is mid-February and that means the worst is over and spring is on its way. Eventually. February gardening in Ohio usually means lots of waiting, unless you are starting your seeds inside. Then, under the lights you see sprouts of spring -just about when March is…
Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
In the bygone days of blogging (yes, we can now talk about the bygone days of blogging), it was normal to have numerous mini-posts comprised of only links or quotes, etc. That is greatly frowned upon by Google today (not yet known in those days when “Altavista” was the search engine we used. ) So this post…
Wayback in Ilona Garden Time
I was trying to find some old pages I had written in the online Wayback Machine. Unfortunately, I had deleted them before the old geocities site had been recorded (they only started recording it in 1999). Oh well. I did, however, find the beginnings of my “garden journal” when I was just starting to look…
Tips for Ornamental Trees Landscape Success
What are Ornamental Trees? These trees are usually small with special features like interesting bark, showy flowers, or eye-catching foliage. An ornamental tree also has a pleasing shape and fits easily into modern yards. This may seem like a tall order of outstanding characteristics, but the “ornamental” part of the description means that the trees are…
Mid-Ohio Gardening Update
The weather has proved unusual, and here is the impact for my garden; plus some jots about other notable conditions and effects. It has been far wetter than usual, and then there is the inverted effect of our temperatures… June was as miserable as any July-August might have been. The heat and humidity was horrible…
All Season Garden Color with Bold Foliage Effects, Masterful Contrasts
Be Bold with Color Foliage color is a fine way to introduce variation in all seasons; so consider the addition of variegated foliage, purple tinted leaves, golden and some of the other types of leaf or needle color. Flowers, combined for bold contrasts or subtle harmonies, are the glory of three of our four seasons….
Moneysaving Garden Tips for Home Gardeners
Dirt Cheap Garden Ideas Not everyone can afford a bath size water garden kit, but what about using an old tub that was cast off from a remodeling project? What about old teacups turned into bird feeders? Or signs made out of old lumber, or the newest trend… making stuff out of wooden pallets? What other…
Furnishing Grandma’s Fairy House
Just Moved In? Time to Get Decorating! Being creative is what it’s all about- let’s make some cute stuff! I hope you enjoy these ideas and they spark your own fun projects. A Place of Enchantment Whether a fairy garden or home, flights of fancy start with the tiny things that make a miniature world…