Hi GPODers!

The gray part of fall has arrived in New England, and most of the vibrant foliage around me has already fallen. Halloween is over, and this time of year can feel like a dull stretch before the excitement of the holiday season sets in. So I decided a hardy dose of color might be exactly what we need to bring us back to warmer and brighter days. Thankfully, I had a bunch of photos from Heidi Weirether’s amazing flower gardens in Redding, Connecticut, ready to share. We last saw Heidi’s garden back in September, when her borders and beds were still looking lush and lovely (September in Heidi’s Connecticut Garden). She had a few more photos from around that time, and today we get to enjoy another helping of color.

Heidi has awe-worthy borders full of fantastic perennials, but her patio garden mainly consists of incredible annual plant combinations. White zinnias and pink cosmos are heavenly against a backdrop of bright pink impatiens.

A white spider flower (Cleome spp., Zones 9–11 or as an annual) is really living up to its name and putting up a spectacular display of wispy blooms.

A long bloomer that will keep on performing into fall is flowering tobacco (Nicotiana spp., annual), which can be found in a wide range of colors. This lilac shade with pink veining fits right in with the rest of Heidi’s annual display.

If a specific color palette is what you’re going for, mixing and matching the same annuals in multiple colors is an easy way to make cohesive designs that are still exciting. Here, pink zinnias pair with pink cleome—both plants Heidi also has in white varieties.

It seems like every one of Heidi’s plantings is a smashing success. This red ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltedZones 10–11 or as an annual) spilled right out of its container and is covered in bold blooms.

Lastly, a little bit of color from a different source: the always wonderful berries of Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotomaZones 5–8). I might get a little sentimental about spring and summer color this time of year, but there is still plenty to enjoy in the late season.

Thank you for continuing to share your gorgeous garden with us, Heidi! Whether we’re enjoying your plantings during the peak of summer or on a gray day in the late season, it’s always a delight to see your colorful designs.

As we head toward colder days, more gray skies, and inclement weather, Garden Photo of the Day can become a haven of color as we reminisce about our spring and summer gardens. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the successes we had during the peak of the growing season, so consider sharing your 2025 garden highlights with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.

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, 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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