Today’s photos are from Connie Raines in Georgia.

I am a hobby gardener and a professional interior designer. I learned about plants and flowers while tending my own small city garden. I worked as a “professional gardener” during the 2008 recession when design work was hard to come by. I have continued my love for gardening and planting in a new home and have a wonderful wildflower meadow garden that I started in 2022. It has taken two years for some of these flowers to actually flower but it has been worth the wait. My property also has some very large azaleas.

This Lady Banks rose (Rosa banksiea ‘Lutea’, Zones 8–10) is covered in flowers after just two years. Lady Banks rose loves hot climates and is an early bloomer, covering itself with masses of small yellow blooms in the spring. Best of all, it is nearly thornless, so it can be used next to a seating area like this without any injuries.

Last fall Connie planted baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii, annual) seeds in the ground. This little annual is native to the West Coast and grows great when sowed in the fall in Zone 7 and warmer, or in the spring in colder zones.

Connie is adding more natives to her garden, like this baptisia (Baptisia alba, Zones 5–8). Baptisias are very long-lived, durable perennials but can take some time to settle in and start flowering heavily. This first blooming is the promise of lots of beauty for years to come.

Flowers from the wildflower garden: sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, Zones 3–9), native fleabane (Erigeron annuus, annual), phlox (Phlox divaricatus, Zones 3–8), and a stem of columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris, Zones 3–8)

Brussels sprouts and Swiss chard bring edible elements to Connie’s garden. Both grew over the winter, as they are quite cold tolerant.

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