Hi GPODers!

Today we get to see another garden transform over the course of the last year. (If you missed yesterday’s 2024 garden highlights, check that out here: Phyllis’s Garden in New Jersey) Karen Safford has submitted an incredible month-by-month tour of her new rock garden in Bend, Oregon. In just three years with this space, you’ll be amazed at what Karen has been able to create.

Learn more: Great Rock Garden Plants for Beginners

Hi. I saw your call for photos and decided to be brave and send some along. This is just a section of my garden—I’m sending photos that start in early spring and end just yesterday (Nov. 15). We moved into our house 3 years ago and the backyard was a blank slate other than established trees and massive lava rocks and a large slope. We had a lot of structural work done and I did all the plantings. This section can be seen the best from my kids bedrooms—so I’ve really focused on butterfly and hummingbird plants that they can watch from their desks. Also, being in the high desert, I’ve really concentrated on low water— I’ve installed drip irrigation on all of these plants and run it between 30-60 minutes, 3 times a week depending on how hot it is. I am also working on keeping everything deeply mulched to try to help conserve water and protect the roots.

Thank you so much for this glorious tour of your garden through the seasons, Karen! It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished in three years in this space.

Have you documented your garden through the seasons this year? We’d love to see how your landscape has evolved over the course of this year. 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 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!

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