Happy Thanksgiving GPODers (and happy belated Thanksgiving to all of our Canadian readers)!

I’ve been a part of building and preparing Garden Photo of the Day to send to all of our lovely readers for a few years now, and have always admired the community around the GPOD blog, but I gained a whole new appreciation when I stepped in as the editor in May. You all welcomed me with open arms, and continue to keep this blog alive by opening up and sharing your special spaces with anyone interested in reading. Or by simply receiving GPOD to your inbox every day and reading the stories of our featured gardens. I wanted you all to know that I recognize and appreciate all of your generosity, as well as the time you take in compiling photos, writing descriptions, and dealing with the technology needed to get it all to me. I know I did a compilation post just a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving and express my gratitude for all of you than showcasing some great gardens we saw this past spring and summer.

First up, Ainsley Mumford Jones in Asheville, North Carolina. Ainsley’s garden was featured on May 10th: A Purple Plant Palette in Asheville, NC.

Purple and green are a classic combination. Using these cooler tones, Ainsley has created a sense of calm in this full-sun bed with varied foliage textures backdropping a pop of purple woodland sage (Salvia nemorosa, Zones 4–8).

The following week, on May 14th, we saw spring photos from frequent GPOD contributor Carla Zambelli Mudry’s (check out other submissions here, here, and here) garden in Malvern, Pennsylvania: Ahead-of-Schedule Flowers in Pennsylvania.

Carla’s got a killer spring combination here with the pinkshell azalea (Rhododendron vaseyi, Zones 5–7) popping against the bright green sea of ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris, Zones 2–8).

On May 21st we saw lovely spring scenes in New England. Sheila Abair (check out other submissions here and here) shared photos from her garden in northern Vermont: Sheila’s Vermont Garden in Spring.

Hosta and sedum are bursting from the ground underneath a weigela. A cedar is just visible in the background. 

At the very end of the month, on May 29th, we saw spectacular spring containers from Howard Nemeroff: Howard’s Spring Container Displays. Howard is the of owner of Plant Parenting, a Chicago-based interior plant and container design service, and we also featured him in issue #219 of the magazine this year (Accessorizing the Landscape with Seasonal Containers).

This bright chartreuse color is like sunshine on those earliest spring days, and creates a stunning center piece for any kind of occasion or gathering. Howard uses some faux plants in some of his earliest spring designs, but can you tell which plants from the above are actually fake?

Inching closer to summer, on June 18th, Cathy Hollis (check out another submission here) shared photos from her garden in Englewood, Colorado: Cathy’s Colorado Garden in Spring.

A show of late blooming tulips–Big Smile (yellow), Menton (pink), and Blushing Lady (pale yellow with light pink).

On June 28th I started the ‘GPOD Vignettes’ series on the blog. If you’re not familiar, I started posting these compilation-style posts to share the photo submissions that aren’t long enough to be stand-alone articles (photos of 3 or less). In the very first installment (GPOD Vignettes: A Succulent Front Yard, New Blooms from a Zesty Plant, and a Compost Cake) one of those submissions was from Catherine and John Campbell in Southern California. And check out the other installments: Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

A rock garden allows Catherine and John to grow some incredible plants! The stunner in the front appears to be a mangave—potentially ‘Macho Mocha’ (× Mangave ‘Macho Mocha’, Zones 7–9)—and the colorful ‘Jester’ New Zealand flax (Phormium ‘Jester’, Zones 8–11) directly behind is show stopping.

Another frequent GPOD contributor, Bas Suharto, often shares the gorgeous Japanese-style gardens he designs in Canada (check out other submissions here, here, and here). One of his designs in Vanier, Ontario was featured on July 8th: The Small World of a Japanese-Style Courtyard Garden.

The reduced, once overgrown bergenias. The plant on the right is dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca var. albertiana ‘Conica’, Zones 2–6).

Next up, on July 16th, we saw peak summer in Anna Tsai’s garden (check out other submissions here, here, and here) in Bayside, Wisconsin: Fabulous Flowers in Anna’s Wisconsin Garden.

There are some flowers that rise above the rest (literally and figuratively)! This almost highlighter-yellow foxtail lily (Eremurus stenophyllus, Zones 6–9) is so bright and striking that it makes a show-stopping focal point.

On July 30th we got an update on a garden project from Nicki Snoblin (check out other submissions here, here, and here) in Lake Bluff, Illinois: Update on a Front Yard Pollinator Garden in Illinois.

The view from the side. In the background on the right you can see Tiny Tuff Stuff™ hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata ‘MAKD’, Zones 5–9) in bloom.

A week later, on August 5th, we were visiting Lizzi’s garden (check out another submission here) at it’s summer peak in Walla Walla, Washington: Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later.

The above bed shows off a funky garden sculpture and a beautiful bunch of lavender ‘Martha Roderick’ (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Martha Roderick’, Zones 5–10).

We also saw lots of lovely summer containers this year. On August 11th we featured Lila Johnson’s (check out other submissions here, here, and here) colorful combinations in Mill Creek, Washington: Lila’s Colorful Containers in Washington.

A beautiful grouping of cohesive containers bring a pop of color to the shade, however, my favorite part of these creations are the ornamental branches that add a bit more height and interest. While branches, pinecones, and all sorts of cuttings are commonplace in winter arrangements, you don’t see the same interest applied to summer containers as often. This is a great example of what we’re missing out on!

One of several special treats we got this year was from Kielian DeWitt in Hamilton, Montana (check out other submissions here, here, and here). Kielian is the President of the Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour™, which organizes incredible yearly garden tours while raising funds for great local causes. This year she shared a full virtual-version of their 2024 garden tour that culminated in her award-winning rural garden on August 22nd: Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour: Rural Garden on a Montana Ranch (check out the other gardens featured on the tour: A Nurseryman’s Expansive Garden, Meticulously Maintained Urban Garden, An Eco-friendly, Native Plant Garden, and The Alice in Wonderland Garden).

Pink roses, snow-in-summer ground cover (Cerastium tomentosum, Zones 3–7), astilbe and a late-blooming peony provide color and drama to the meandering path.

Suzannah Pugh in Springfield, Missouri first shared a couple of photos from a small section of her garden in the second installment of GPOD Vignettes (check those out here). But she answered our calls to see more of her marvelous garden, and on September 1st we got a deeper dive on her space: Transformations and Additions in Suzannah’s Missouri Garden.

The first year after the tree was gone, we planted new trees and had a permanent swing structure and an arbor installed. I knew I wanted to make a pollinator garden around the new swing structure, so we started with some echinacea, and some flowering shrubs: Pink ‘Polka’ weigela (Weigela florida ‘Polka’, Zones 4–9) and a Chinese snowball viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum, Zones 7–9). The second year we added the picket fencing, raised garden beds, five Taylor junipers (Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’, Zones 3–9), smokebush (Cotinus coggygria, Zones 4–8), maiden hair grasses (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’, Zones 4–9), ‘Color Guard’ yucca (Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’, Zones 5–10), and herbs, vegetables and cutting flowers. The third year we added herbaceous perennials. Salvias, rudbeckia, nepetas, phlox, lambs ear and many more.

Lastly, on September 24th, Catherine Dickerson shared her flower-filled garden in San Diego, California: Catherine’s San Diego Garden in Summer.

My husband is known as “the fuchsia man” by one of the grand dames of gardening here in San Diego. He has 30 hanging baskets, more in pots and the ground, that he tends daily, repotting the hanging baskets every November.

Thank you so much to all of the incredible gardeners who have submitted their photos this year (And if you’ve submitted recently and haven’t seen your photos on the blog yet, I promise they’re in the queue)! No matter where you are today, if you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope this post inspires you to reflect and feel gratitude for the gardens we’ve enjoyed, plants we’ve grown, and experiences we’ve had so far in 2024.

If you’re reflecting and what to share some photos from the past year with GPOD, follow the directions below to submit your photos.

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!

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