Today’s photos are from Laura Kraft.

I’m an avid gardener in Seattle and a longtime reader of Fine Gardening. Here are a few of my favorite shots, taken in my yard.

A magical moment: Some fallen petals from a ‘Fragrant Cloud’ rose are caught in a spiderweb, suspended over the beautiful garden behind them.

Dwarf plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Zones 5–9) turns color in late autumn. This ground cover is usually celebrated for the intense blue flowers that start in late summer and fall, but it is perhaps most beautiful late in the fall when the leaves start flushing with their fall color, contrasting perfectly with the flowers.

Fatsia japonica (Zones 7–10) is an evergreen shrub with large, dramatic leaves. It is actually a close relative of English ivy (Hedera helix, Zones 5–10). The big heads of white flowers that bloom in fall are much loved by bees and transform into small black berries as the season goes on.

We all know that tulips have beautiful flowers, but this image focuses on the beauty of a tulip leaf pushing up from the ground in the spring. Gardens reward those who stop to take a closer look.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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