Ilona's Garden

“Grow a green thumb”

The Mystery of Purple, Mahogany, and Burgundy

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring pigments and they are the cause of purple pigments in plants. There are said to be over 500 anthocyanins. Anthocyanin production requires light, and sunny exposures will increase intensity of color; acidity affects it as well. Whether through breeding or by...

Posted by the gardener in Featured Articles, plant profiles, shrubs

Mugo Pine, Swiss Mountain Pine...

Mugo Pines are dwarf trees, and they keep their shape well with yearly attention in the spring. . The right way and time to prune a mugo is when the new growth (candles) sprout out in mid spring; it...

Posted by the gardener in garden stories

Why I Garden and Why You Should, Too...

I was watching the video of Beth Chatto conversing on her garden, and she said something which struck such a chord with me, that I felt it expressed not only why those of us garden, but why someone should...

Posted by the gardener in Featured Articles, landscaping

The Most Fragrant Flowers, Adding Fr...

A garden of fragrance is transporting. Fragrance is at its height from spring through summer when the plant world is in great competition for the pollination of their flowers, and that makes the garden a...

Posted by the gardener in general gardening, plant lists

Avian Friends : Plant List...

Quicklist of plants to use in your efforts to make your gardens more environmentally friendly. There are repetitions in the lists when certain plants are supportive of more than one type of fauna in your...

Posted by the gardener in general gardening, plant lists

Tough Plants for Tough Places...

What do we do with those problems areas? Well, we might just want to pave them, but what if we need a few green things growing there? Here are some tough plants to try in those problem spots. Sunny and...

Posted by the gardener in plant profiles, trees

Amelanchier, The Service Tree...

Juneberries just ripening.I wondered why this tree was called the “Service Tree” or the “Serviceberry”. One story tells it that its bloom signaled when the graves could be dug in the...

Posted by the gardener in plant profiles, shrubs, white flowers

The Beautiful Annabelle...

There have been times when the full blossomed Annabelle fairly burst forth in the garden, and I was embarrassed by her almost obscene abundance of giant orbs of bloom. Ah, Annabelle, “my darling, my...

Posted by the gardener in Featured Articles, garden design, garden theme

Outside My Window: A Look Into Garde...

My favorite garden author, Helen Van Pelt Wilson, had an intensely planted space she called her “Look Into” garden. Looking through a large casement window in her kitchen, she viewed this little...

Posted by the gardener in Featured Articles, containers

Five Container Tips and Five Contain...

Five Tips For Happy ContainersUse sphagnum moss to retain moisture. Planting in sun? Don’t use dark colored containers which soak up more heat. Use the largest containers to give your plants the best...

Posted by the gardener in Featured Articles, garden design, veggies

Your Own French Potager...

There are Kitchen gardens, and then there is the French potager. Like saying, there is cuisine, and then there is French cuisine. You may interpret the distinction in your own mind, but I think there is a...