Hi GPODers!
No matter how short or long winter feels, seeing spring come to life in your garden is a glorious moment of celebration. For Kit Jensen in South Euclid, Ohio, some warm weather and the ensuing eruption of blooms in her garden is a tremendous relief after a very harsh winter season. Kit has shared her small, but flower-filled garden with us a few times in the past (Check out her previous submissions: The Story of Doe #45, Bulbs in Northeastern Ohio, and Finding Solace in Kit’s Garden), and today’s update is no different. After a long wait, her spring garden is finally able to start its show of spectacular color.
It was a bitterly cold, long and snowy winter in NE Ohio—lasting through most of March and battering early daffodils. We had a rare April week last week with consistent 70 degree temperatures despite some mighty storms. The result was flowering trees and bulbs bursting into flower. I’m sharing a few here. Kit Jensen
Anyone who has to deal with terrible snowstorms knows that the “winter wonderland” they create can quickly lose its charm as the season goes on. However, all of that precipitation has given Kit a vibrant and lush spring garden. Green is oozing from every corner and her eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis, Zones 4–9) is busting with blooms.
And it looks like the front garden is no different. A flowering cherry—maybe the Kwanzan variety (Prunus ‘Kanzan’, Zones 5–9) is putting on an impressive performance.
Another angle of Kit’s gorgeous redbud shows off the mix of bulbs they have also exploded into bloom.
Winter was long and unrelenting, but all of this glorious color must have been worth the wait. What looks to be the peachy-pink blooms of ‘Cameo’ quince (Chaenomeles × superba ‘Cameo’, Zones 4–8) is divine next to clusters of grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum, Zones 4–8).
Though her earliest daffodils got beaten down by snow, Kit has a mix of varieties that are keeping the show going. The bright white blooms of ‘Thalia’ daffodils (Narcissus ‘Thalia’, Zones 3–8) are glowing against the sea of green and even more grape hyacinth.
And one final glorious grape hyacinth combination, this time with yellow daffodils.
Thank you so much for sharing these gorgeous spring photos with us, Kit! I’m happy to hear that you weathered the tough winter you experienced, and that spring is treating you to all this color.
Winter of 2025-2026 was tough in many regions of North America—with some dealing with torrents of snow and others facing extended droughts—and this has a direct impact on the spring color we’re seeing now. No matter where your region falls on the spectrum, we would love to see how spring arrived in your garden 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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