Happy Friday GPODers!

Last week our digital production specialist, Katie Meyer, sent me a collection of photos from the botanical gardens she enjoys in and around her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. We already shared photos from her trip to Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska during a visit in February. Today we’re shaking off the winter weather with a trip Katie made to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden last July.

Lots of things in bloom on this mid-summer visit to the botanical garden and spent a lot of time in the outdoor gardens to see what was going in their borders. They had some nice native looking planting sections on the perimeter of the garden. Lots of alliums and found a lovely stand of blackberry lily (Iris domesticaZones 5–10), the orange freckled flowers are so eye-catching! I came across more colorful blooms including torch lilies (Kniphofia spp. and cvs., Zones 5–9) and a nice combo of coneflower and mountain fleece (Bistorta embracexicaulisZones 4–7). A lovely way to spend an afternoon and getting inspired by their seasonal plantings.

In her last batch of photos, Katie showed some beautiful spots to sit and enjoy the indoor spaces of a botanical garden, but there are always lots of areas to sit and savor outdoor displays (even when the weather is scorching). This beautiful weeping willow tree (Salix BabylonianZones 6–8) creates the perfect canopy for a simple shady sanctuary.

As Katie mentioned, several native plantings were putting on their peak performance. In this vignette, a towering cup plant (Silph perfoliatumZones 4–8) is paired perfectly with the fluffy blooms of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatumZones 3–8).

A closer look at the abundant blooms of Joe Pye weed—a butterfly favorite that also reaches considerable heights.

Switching over to a non-native plant that packs a flashier punch in a smaller package, blackberry lily (Iris domesticaZones 5–10) has bold flowers that transform into clusters of shiny, black, berry-like seeds in late summer/fall.

If you can’t snag the bench under that dreamy willow tree in the first photo, this alleé of trees provides plenty of shade and few scattered benches for enjoying these delectable summer displays.

Here’s another fantastic combo that Katie mentioned in her intro. Pairing flowers in the same color family but with vastly different forms, like the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpureaZones 3–9) and mountain fleece (Bistorta embracexicaulisZones 4–7) pictured here, is an easy design trick for interest with cohesion.

Another flashy, fiery bloomer is the torch lily, also aptly called red hot pokers (Kniphofia spp. and cvs., Zones 5–9).

All of these brilliant blooms—particularly the abundant natives—must have been a buzz with happy pollinators. Here, some Summer Beauty allium (Garlic Portuguese ‘Summer Beauty’, Zones 4–9) were being visited by a bumble bee.

These alliums were part of a pretty pairing of purple. The bouncing balls of Summer Beauty allium are both complimented and contrasted by the tall spires of prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachyaZones 3–9).

Katie’s beautiful botanical garden photos are not only a wonderful taste of the growing season glory that will arrive in our gardens in the coming months, but also a perfect kick-off to the “GPOD on the Road” series that we will be celebrating next week! If you’re looking for inspiration and ideas for garden travel destinations this year, you will definitely want to tune in.

And if your garden is starting to show the earliest signs of spring, we would love to see it. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!

We want to see YOUR garden!

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, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.

You can also 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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