Happy Monday GPODers!

We’re starting the week off in a garden we’ve seen a couple of times in the past. Paula Brown gardens in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and creates beds, borders, containers and wreaths that fill her front yard with flowers (Check out her previous submissions: Paula’s Ottawa Garden and Paula’s Front Garden in Ottawa). Today we get to see how her garden handled a turbulent growing season.

My garden is always a source of change, joy, peace, work (lots of work) and discovery. It is my go-to place. This year was very wet, then very hot not to mention times of very cool temperatures. It was not nearly as dry as it has been in previous gardening years, but there were still dry periods which were probably needed to dry the soaked earth. I love the rain though. The flowers like it or so they tell me. 😊 As you can see, I love a profusion of colour!

All of Paula’s neighbors in Ottawa must adore her. Her front yard is an absolute delight of colors in so many shapes and forms. From the beautiful mounds of flowers to the spikes of grass that draw your eye across the path, there is endless eye candy to enjoy.

Paula’s gardening skills are only matched by her incredible photography. She way she is able to capture the intense color she creates is astounding. This bright red rose jumps right off the screen.

So perfect it looks like a painting! The crisp edges on her beds are a fantastic contrast to the mounds of black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta, Zones 3–8), daisies, purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3–9), and hydrangea.

As much as Paula’s neighbors must enjoy her flower-filled front yard, the local pollinators must appreciate her plantings that much more.

It would take me ages to get to Paula’s front door. There are so many plants filling every corner of this walkway, and all of this in a growing season with extreme weather fluctuations. Seeing a complete view of this colorful space is amazing, but I would love a deeper dive into all these beautiful plants. If you could provide any plant IDs that would be so appreciated, Paula!

I can deduce that Paula has lots of stunning, classic garden beauties. Bright pink zinnias will always please, evidenced by a monarch butterfly stopping by to enjoy.

Deep red hibiscus (maybe Hibiscus Summerific® ‘Cranberry Crush’ or ‘Blackberry Merlot’, Zones 4–9?), panicle hydrangea (I think Hydrangea paniculata ‘SMHPLQF’, Zones 3–8), and white shasta daisies are a fabulous trio by the door.

Dahlia blooms are known for their vast array of colors, but Paula seems to bring out even more. In another photo this might look pretty in pink, white and yellow. Paula brings out the deep red and bright violet.

Paula’s front garden beds are like thick blankets of blooms. She may not have a ton of space, but Paula uses every inch she has to squeeze in flowers of practically every color imaginable. Despite the variety and diversity, she’s able to weave a beautiful, cohesive tapestry.

And one last garden classic, black eyed-Susan, captured so beautifully by Paula that you can even see the purple hue in its center.

Thank you for this bright, colorful start to this week, Paula! Despite a challenging growing season, you had an incredible display of blooms.

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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