Garden Photo of the Day

Best of the GPOD: Perennial Perfection

Making art with plants

Enlglish cottage garden densely planted with perennials and ornamental grasses

Perennials are the heart of so many gardens, coming back year after year to fill our spaces with beautiful flowers and foliage. But because they don’t usually bloom as long as annuals, and change through the seasons, they can sometimes be difficult to use effectively in a garden design—but not for the gardens we visit today in our look back at some of favorite perennial gardens featured on the GPOD.

close up of garden bed wit pink and blue perennial flowersJohn Markowski’s garden is just stunning. Here, Veronica spicata (Zones 3–8) is stealing the show with spikes of intense blue flowers. See more of John’s summer garden here: Lush Summer Blooms.

light blue flowers in front of a large planting of fernsGreat perennials are in the shade too. Cherry Ong shared this shot of ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris, Zones 3–7), Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica, Zones 3–8), and hostas growing together. See more of Cherry’s garden here: Ferns and More.

close up of garden bed with blue and purple flowersThere is spring magic in Ellie Gilbert’s Massachusetts garden from ‘Dreaming Spires’ Siberian iris (Zones 3–8), Salvia ‘Blue Hill’ (Zones 4–8), ‘Karmina’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Karmina’, Zones 5–8), and Heuchera ‘Raspberry Ice’ (Zones 4–9). See more of Ellie’s garden in spring: Spring Comes to Massachusetts.

Enlglish cottage garden densely planted with perennials and ornamental grassesIstvan Dudas is a British gardener who has shared some breaktaking images with the GPOD. This particular one is a shot I’ll never forget. The expert way he combines perennials is just incredible. See more of Istvan’s designs: Gardening Art Form.

close up of low-growing flowers in springGrowing perennials is all about celebrating the sometimes short moment when they are at their peak, as with this incredible spread of moss phlox (Phlox subulata, Zones 3–9) showing off in Ruth Ann Mummey’s garden in New Jersey. See more of her garden here: Gardens at Bellsflower Farm.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    simplesue 04/19/2024

    Always inspiring to look at GPOD photos!

  2. MohawkValley 04/19/2024

    All great .
    Nice job , everyone !

  3. btucker9675 04/19/2024

    Love these - so colorful and textural.

  4. MohawkValley 04/22/2024

    I'll comment again after viewing a second time .

    Absolutely beautiful ! There .

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