Hi GPODers!

Today we’re visiting Phyllis Strohmeyer in northwestern New Jersey. Last year, Phyllis sent us a fabulous garden year-in-review (The Year That Was in Northwestern New Jersey), and she’s making it a tradition by sending in some of her favorite photos from the 2024 growing season. As we head deeper into fall and winter is slowly creeping up on us, it’s a real treat to start the day with some peak season blooms.

Learn more: Naturalistic Garden in New Jersey

Antique plow among blazing stars, daisies, and dahlias.

In the 6 years we have lived here this is the first time this older hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 6–9) has bloomed. We had a mild winter.

More beautiful blooms and foliage from the garden this year. A beautiful, bright purple garden phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4–8) brings the color while some diverse foliage provides textural interest in the background.

I had accidentally left this calla lily in the ground all winter and it surprised me in the spring.

Tumbleweed onions (Allium schubertii, Zones 4–9) are a firework finale for a late spring gardens. With blooms that are often looser than other allium, tumbleweed onions provide a different kind of texture and work in situations where the more common globe shape might look out of place.

Our Amish-built cottage—our happy place!

When flowers start disappearing from the landscape, the bright purple berries of beautyberry never disappoint. It is hard to tell exactly which kind in the late-season when only the colorful fruit remain.

Phyllis’s garden is painterly! There are so many fabulous colors on display, including this striking deep purple-blue salvia.

Ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum, Zones 5–10) being visited.

Birdcage gazebo surrounded by kniphofia and Invinciball® hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Abetwo’, Zones 3–9).

Shade stumpery.

Crystal trees (ice coated) on Christmas Day.

Thank you for sharing your garden highlights with us again, Phyllis! It’s always so insightful and inspiring to be able to see how a garden evolves over one year to the next. I truly hope that your garden reflections become a yearly tradition her on GPOD, and that we get to see how your space continues to evolve next year.

If you’re sitting on a stack of photos from this year’s growing season, consider sharing them with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your photos via email, or feel free to send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.

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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