Hi GPODers!

It has been a while, but I’ve finally amassed enough small submissions to compile another GPOD Vignette. If you’re new, GPOD Vignettes allow me to share submissions that come in on the shorter side. Rather than these beautiful garden photos collecting dust in the GPOD inbox, I decided to compile these contributions whenever I could and piece them together so all of the gorgeous spaces shared with Garden Photo of the Day can have a space to shine on the blog. If you want to check out some past Vignettes, follow these links: Small Gardens with Big Impacts, Containers and Arrangements, and The Plants That Speak to Us.

The following submissions came through over the past few months and all spoke to the special parts of our gardens that really strike a chord. Whether it be a particular view or a noteworthy time of year, there was something that made these gardeners stop, snap a photo, and share the moment with other plant lovers.

 

Mixing edibles and ornamentals with style

I’m Heather Jones, owner of Sit a Spell Nursery & Landscape Design LLC and we are located in Saint George, South Carolina. This is my backyard entrance to our fire pit area. I have tea plants, hydrangeas, ferns, roses, mahonia, and liriope in the photo. I’ve been gardening my whole life but during COVID I went back to college to get my degree in horticulture. I have a passion for edible landscaping mixed in with ornamentals and you’ll often find that in different areas of my property.

A sublime spot to enjoy the smell of Heather’s fragrant plantings while watching kids and/or pets run and play in the lawn that surrounds. Stepping stones lead you through the arbor and to the sweet congregating spot, while a huge tree provides the perfect shade to escape the heat of summer in South Carolina.

 

A neon backyard in autumn

Every autumn there is one unequaled dawn when my Chicago backyard dazzles in neon gold. It happened today, the peak of luminosity. Enjoy.

Jane Friedman

When your space is limited, like when your garden is located in a major city, having just one or two plants that put out a particularly vibrant fall display can be enough to absolutely fill your space with color. From these photos, it looks like that is the case for Jane in regard to this marvelous maple in fall.

Luminous is exactly the word the describe this glowing foliage. What a magical moment to see the sun shining through these neon leaves, both up close and from a distance! If only this magical color wasn’t so fleeting.

 

A tropical slice of late summer

The next photo comes from Sheila Rowan. While Sheila did not mention where her garden is located, my guess would be Florida or some other tropical locale. From the tall palm to the various lush vines, it looks like Sheila has a topical rainforest right outside her window.

Hawaiian sunset vine (Stictocardia beraviensis, Zones 9–11), Purple Queen tradescantia (Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Queen’, Zones 8–11), and Aechmea Del Mar bromeliad (Aechmea ‘Del Mar’, Zones 9–11) in late summer.

 

A favorite spot to admire the garden

Lastly, we have a special garden spot sent in by Catherine Arcolio.

I wanted to share with you a small part of my Mother’s garden. I tend it for her now that she is in her 90’s. This photo is her view from her favorite inside reading spot. She lives on the New Hampshire side of in the Connecticut River Valley, winters in the Northeast are long and weary making so we anticipate and greet spring with special affection and relief.

I design and tend gardens for a select handful of clients, so I spend spring through fall outdoors.
For the past 12 or so years I have been documenting gardens and nature with a photo and a micro poem every day. The title and poem for this image is:

Sweet Rise
early morning
held in spring’s
innocent caress

If you’re interested in seeing more of Catherine’s photography and poems, check out her website: leafandtwig.org

Flowering crabapple with wild violets in front and native Solomon’s seal behind. Hosta, one hot pink begonia, and 100 year old frog on toadstool birdbath. Water comes out of the frog’s mouth if you’ve gone to the trouble to bury and hook up a hose, which we never do. Birch grove in the distance

Thank you to all of the contributors who shared special slices of the gardens they tend! Whether you decide to share 20 or 2 photos of your garden, I am so grateful for everyone that chooses to share your gardens with Garden Photo of the Day.

And reminder that while the directions below request that you send “5-10 photos” of your garden, we’ll happily take any amount that you choose to share—just be aware that it might effect the amount of time it takes for your photos to be featured.

 

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 gpod@taunton.com 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.

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