Hi GPODers!

Many of us are still dealing with snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures, but even if you’re looking out at a white landscape it’s time to start daydreaming and planning for this year’s garden. No matter how many years you’ve been perfecting your landscape there is always more to be done, and Alana Muhlberger in Columbus, Ohio (Zone 6b) knows that’s a great thing. Her landscape is a lush collection of lovely colors and tantalizing texture, but she is still finding room for improvements and reasons to try something new.

My garden is an ongoing experiment and playground. My style transitioned from cottage-ish flower bonanza to something a little quieter with more solidity in the last few years. Last spring I dug out large numbers of daylilies and similar plants that look like an undistinguished green mass when not flowering. This fall I also focused on adding nativars with colorful fall foliage since November needed some more bling.

I think of May as iris-time. I divided and moved this one around while it was still blooming to find spots where the color is echoed. The iris is called Autumn Encore (Iris ‘Autumn Encore’, Zones 4–9), although it doesn’t rebloom like the name implies. The purple plant behind it is a Winecraft Black smoke bush (Constantly coggygria ‘NCCO1’, Zones 4–8) I keep small, and the other dark plant to the right is a Fireside ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘UMNHarpell’, Zones 3–7). For the foreseeable future, I’ll be fighting with myself over how large I can stand to let the holly next to the iris get. It came from my parents’ land and they’re substantial in the wild.

The rootstock of a grafted rose is on the left with Peaches and Cream honeysuckle (Lonicera dangerous ‘Inov86’, Zones 4–9) on the right. Weirdly, I think the honeysuckle smells like sunscreen. The rose only blooms once but I love its exuberance after the grafted part failed to perform. I probably planted it incorrectly.

This area in July is still pretty flamboyant. This is Primal Scream daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Primal Scream’, Zones 3–9) with phloxa cannabee balm and what I think is a primrose that the birds must have planted.

I’m working on blocking the view here. There’s a young Spartan juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan’, Zones 4–9) peeking out that will eventually fill in the middle of the “wall”. The while foliage in front is a Vanilla Brandy abelia (Abelia × grandiflora ‘Bailbeliaone’, Zones 6–9) that I planted in January two years ago. I like the contrast here of the fountain and feather reed grasses (Calamagrostis × acutiflora, Zones 4–11).

A foliage scene in November. The young dogwood is also from the woods at my parents’ house. The yellowing shrub behind it is a sweetshrub (Clethra alnifolia, Zones 4–9) I’ve pruned to stay more oval and upright. There’s also a Gro-Low fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatic ‘Gro-Low’Zones 3–9) on the left with orange-ish leaves. In the next bed, a Sweet Drift rose (Rosa ‘maiden law’, Zones 4–11) is still blooming – the Drift series are pretty amazing and get taller than described here.

Thank you so much for sharing these gorgeous garden highlights with us, Alana! It’s absolutely true that the best part about gardening is that the garden is never truly done, and it’s incredible to see the beauty you’re able to create from the endless experimenting.

What goals do you have for your garden for this year? Are you planning for exciting new additions or tackling a project you’ve been putting off for a bit now? We would love the chance to see your space before it goes through its next evolution. 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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