My name is Alana and I garden in Columbus, Ohio. My current garden is about 7 years old and I’m constantly tweaking it. One of my favorite parts of gardening is being surprised by the unexpected. I love self seeders and biennials or not-quite-hardy plants that survive over several years. The current layout takes up most of my 1/4 acre property and there is not much grass left. Looking back at last year there were some nice moments.

In April, Miss Saigon hyacinth (Hyacinthus ‘Miss Saigon’, Zone 4 – 8) complements a moss phlox (Phlox subulata, Zone 3 – 9), I believe ‘Ronsdorfer Beauty’. Hyacinths provide fabulous color before much else is blooming. I’m starting to get into tulips now that the yard is fully fenced, but before that hyacinths were my deer-resistant early spring stars.

The pinks/purples in this bed in May are common mallow (Malva sylvestris, Zone 4 – 8), Felix Crousse peony (Paeonia ‘Felix Crousse’, Zone 3 – 7), Cloudburst phlox (Phlox ‘Cloudburst’, Zone 4 – 8), and Dianthus ‘Kate’ (Zone 4 – 9). The mallows self seed well in my yard and some of them grow taller than I am.

Here is a different bed in May. Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (Zone 4 – 9) is one of my favorite plants but doesn’t always come back after our wet winters in clay-ish soil. Many of the bearded irises I‘ve tried also struggle but the ones that make it tend to reproduce amazingly quickly. The orange iris here I believe is Iris ‘Maid of Orange’ (Zone 4 – 8). The dianthus is Dianthus ‘Vivid Cherry Charm’ (Zone 5 – 8) and there is a Clematis ‘Dr. Ruppel’ (Zone 4 – 11). On the left behind the iris is common chives (Allium schoenoprasum, Zone 4 – 8). I like them as ornamental plants until the flowers fade, at which point they flop and I cut them back. I don’t know the cultivars of the blue iris or the geranium.

Pink! This bed in June is a little eye-popping. Most of the plants that are flowering in this picture came from seed I direct sowed and hoped for the best. The pink flowers are sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, Zone 3 – 8), Dianthus ‘Delilah’ (Zone 4 – 9), Phlox ‘Fashionably Early Flamingo’ (Zone 4 – 8) phlox, rose campion (Lychnis coronaria, Zone 4 – 8), and Penstemon ‘Red Rocks’ (Zone 4 – 8). The campion and sweet Williams have self seeded like a champ and the original clumps have been there for 3 or 4 years despite the heavy soil.

In July, the yellow-orange Crocosmia ‘George Davison’ (Zone 6 – 9) plays off the pinks from the phlox, Rainbow Marcella purple coneflower (Echinacea ‘Rainbow Marcella’, Zone 5 – 9), a species purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, Zone 4 – 9) from seed, and Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zone 4 – 8). There is also a salmony canna (Canna hybrid, Zone 8 – 10 or as tender bulb) crammed in here I got after volunteering at a botanical park.

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 [email protected] 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.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Buffalo-Style Gardens: Create a Quirky, One-of-a-Kind Private Garden with Eye-Catching Designs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Buffalo-Style Gardens is a one-of-a-kind, offbeat garden design book that showcases the wildly inventive gardens and gardeners of Buffalo – and offers readers "the best of the best” ideas to use in their own small-space gardens.

Buy at Amazon

Spear & Jackson 4930FZ Razorsharp Telescopic Tree Pruner

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Telescopic tree pruner with SK5 carbon steel blade which stays sharper for longer. Variable length telescopic handle extends up to 92 Inch (2340mm). Lopper for cutting branches up to 1.2" (30mm). 13 inch (330mm) saw is ideal for cutting thicker branches. Supplied with a long cord and pull-action handle. Part of the Razorsharp Advantage collection, the obvious choice for gardeners who demand and expect precise, powerful performance. "Grow Your Own" Great British Growing 2020 Award Winners.

Buy at Amazon

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

Buy at Amazon