I’m always excited when I see an email from Istvan Dudas in the GPOD inbox. Today he’s sharing photos taken by Ukrainian photographer Maria Savoskula of the Stockcross House garden where Istvan is part-time head gardener.

Istvan has shared photos of his work with us before (Gardening as an Art Form) and do check those out if you’ve missed them.

Today we’re going to look at some photos taken in the garden over the summer, and tomorrow we’ll be back to enjoy some scenes from fall.

Beautiful brick walls divide the garden and frame views of the plantings beyond—here, the tall spires of lupines (Lupinus hybrids, Zones 3–7) and foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4–8).

The bold leaves of a banana add a tropical flair to this border, and the broad leaves contrast perfectly with the smaller foliage around it. Behind, you can see the tail end of the white wisteria blooms (Wisteria sinensis, Zones 6–10) still looking beautiful even as they fade.

A cloud of brilliant red poppies (Papaver orientale, Zones 3–7), some of the brightest stars of the early summer garden.

Elegant spires of white foxgloves.

The dark burgundy-red of the lupines in the foreground is picked up by the ribs of the banana leaf and the foliage of the smokebush (Cotinus coggygria, Zones 5–8) beyond, while the white foxgloves are echoed by the fading white wisteria in the background.

The dark orange blooms of a Calendula (annual) form a beautiful combination with the incredible purple bracts of Salvia horminum. This annual sage isn’t grown much in American gardens, but the beautiful bracts make a wonderful and unusual display.

A little greenhouse looks out over an informal meadow area.

Bright lupine blooms burn against the backdrop of dark smoke bush foliage.

The neatly mown lawn and straight bed edges give a formal contrast to the wild abundance of the plants in the borders.

The foliage of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus, Zones 7–9) is incredibly dramatic. This relative of artichokes will have huge purple flowers later, but the jagged, silvery foliage is often the star of the show.

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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