This is Johana in Aiken, South Carolina. I had a different set of photos I was planning to submit, but when I awakened this morning to such a beautiful sight from my windows, I grabbed my phone and tried to capture the beauty I was seeing.

This photo is of the front walkway, and since it was early morning, the playful shadows and shapes reminded me of Alice Through the Looking Glass.

This photo shows the ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum, Zones 7–10) in the background in full flower.

In this photo you can see the nest by our back door. This is where my husband and I watched a pair of mockingbirds build the nest.

Here you can again see the blooming ligustrum in the background, with the false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera, Zones 4–8) and Euonymus (Zones 5–9).

Here is a closer view of the ligustrum in bloom. Though often thought of as a foliage or hedging plant, ligustrum can flower heavily, and the blooms are quite fragrant.

I wish I were a better photographer, but I do hope I captured some of the beauty of this day. Thank you, and happy gardening to all.

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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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