Hi GPODers!

Last week we enjoyed photos of Dawn Fountain’s award-winning spring harvest in Surprise, Arizona (Dawn’s Blue Ribbon Garden in Arizona), but, as we have seen in her previous submissions, Dawn grows far more than just herbs and veggies. Today she is back to share more lovely moments from her spring garden—the sort that are less edible and more colorful. These plants may not have won any blue ribbons (that we know of), but that is no reflection of their garden worthiness.

I start almost all my plants—veggies and some flowers—by seed. Of course, not my roses and passionflower, but hollyhocks, cosmos. . . .

Some of Dawn’s most precious plants are in her memorial garden. Each potted plant represents and memorializes one of Dawn’s lost loved ones.

Dawn’s garden is often the exact opposite of what you might imagine from a Southwestern garden, but that doesn’t mean she skips the most iconic desert plants: cacti. What looks to be a kind of prickly pear is just starting a series of wonderful blooms.

Passionflowers are typically grown in gardens for their gorgeous, unique blooms, but they are an edible that fit right into Dawn’s abundant kitchen garden. If you love the tropical, citrusy sweet taste of passion fruit, try growing Passionflower eat

Dawn’s houseplants and seed-starting trays get an abundance of light from this sunny window outfitted with some fantastic plant shelves. The sun in Arizona can be so intense that window coverings are necessary for keeping the house cool and the plants from scorching.

Some of the humble seeds that Dawn starts on that windowsill eventually become the impressive plants in her garden, like this bright pink and towering hollyhock (Alcea roseaZones 3–9). I’m not surprised that Dawn grabbed a few of these flowers to enjoy indoors (did you catch them in the vase in the photo above?).

Thank you so much for this second batch of photos from your spectacular spring garden, Dawn! While we are still waiting for more color to arrive in Northern gardens, it’s always a pleasure to see your garden full of life and thriving.

Are you a warm-climate gardener who is trying to make the most of the cooler season before it makes way for scorching heat? We would love to see the color that has erupted from your garden so far this year. Follow the 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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Monarch Butterfly Rescue Wildflower Seeds 4 oz.

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Gardener’s Log Book from NYBG

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This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features:
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· Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds
· Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when
· Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening
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Lee Valley Garden Knife

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These knives have a trowel-like blade with a sharp edge to let you use the same tool for digging, planting and cutting. The blade is sharpened on both sides, with serrations on one edge to help with cutting tough roots or dividing perennials. Deeply stamped markings on the blade (in 1/2″ and 5mm increments) help you set the correct planting depth for seeds and bulbs.