Garden Photo of the Day

Garden Sights From Maureen

Beauty seen by a talented photographer

close up of bright pink hibiscus flower

Maureen Budney, in North Reading, Massachusetts, is a talented amateur photographer and often shares the sights she captures with us.

close up of bright pink hibiscus flowerI love how this photo of a hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrid, Zones 5–10) makes you stop and take in all the details of this beautiful bloom. Hardy perennial hibiscus are hybrids of species native to eastern North America and make imposing plants with their huge summer blooms.

closeup of bright purple clematis flowerThis clematis (Clematis, large-flowered hybrid, Zones 5–9) bloom has deep velvety purple petals, and its central mass of anthers is just beginning to open for pollination.

skinny red Japanese maple leavesMoving to fall, the leaves of a cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) are flush with red.

orange and yellow Japanese maple leavesThese Japanese maple leaves in fall are more gold with just a hint of red on them. Color depends on the specific cultivar of Japanese maple, and there will be more red in leaves exposed to direct sun, less on leaves in a more shaded location.

tree covered in fall leaves lit up at nightThis garden light probably creates great views all year, but its illumination of these fall leaves make the tree look like it is on fire.

close up of flower bud beginning to formAs they first emerge, the leaves of lilies (here, a Lilium hybrid) can be almost as beautiful as the flowers if you take the time to look at them closely.

pink Cherry blossoms in bloomCherry blossoms (Prunus sp., Zones 5–8) are the epitome of spring. The fleeting nature of their display only makes them all the more beautiful and precious.

wasp pollinating a cluster of pink flowersA beautiful wasp feeding milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Zones 3–6). I believe this is a great black digger wasp or a blue-wing wasp. In either case, like most wasps, it doesn’t sting humans but does feed on garden pests like grasshoppers or Japanese beetle larva.

 

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.

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Comments

  1. Maggieat11 07/28/2022

    Beautiful! I especially like the Japanese Maple!!!
    Thanks for sharing.

    1. mojersey 07/28/2022

      Thank you! It’s our favorite tree on the property.

  2. User avater
    treasuresmom 07/28/2022

    For those who are interested, Maureen has many more GPOD submissions.
    BTW, love it, Maureen.

    1. mojersey 07/29/2022

      Thank you for the shout out đź’•

  3. btucker9675 07/28/2022

    These are gorgeous photos and I would welcome that wasp to come to my garden and help me with the Japanese beetle population... they have been especially bad this year! The water droplets on the emerging lily leaves make an especially beautiful photo. Thank you for sharing these!

    1. mojersey 07/29/2022

      Glad you like them! Thank you!

  4. User avater
    vanhatalosuomi 07/28/2022

    Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing!

    1. mojersey 07/29/2022

      You are very welcome! Glad they are appreciated!

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