Hi GPODers!
We are already half way through 2026 and it feels like the growing season is flying by. Were we not celebrating spring flowers just yesterday? Despite the fleeting seasons, Johanna Smith in Aiken, South Carolina (Zone 8, which used to be 7a/7b) is finding joy in all of the ups and downs she experiences in her garden. Johanna has shared highlights from every season in her garden (Johanna’s Beautiful Blooms and Shapely Shrubs in South Carolina, Johanna’s South Carolina Garden, Fall in Johanna’s Garden, and Winter in South Carolina), but today she is diving a bit deeper as she examines all of the gardening surprises, set backs, and successes she has had in her garden so far this year.
I truly love this unplanned combo of chaste shrub (Vitex agnus-castus, Zones 6–9) and four o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) and I get to see it every morning from my kitchen window. It also provides privacy from the street side and additional shade with the pergola.
I’m not sure, but I think this is some form of lily (It looks like a crinum lily!). A neighbor gave me this years ago and said it would look better in my yard, but until this year it was always one or 2 blossoms, so I was never able to see how beautiful it looked. I have two and they are showing off this spring.
This was another area of surprise. I call it my little bit of everything garden: nandina, boxwood, daylillies, iris, cannas, banana plants and rosemary. These plants did so well, I had to actually cut back the boxwood and rosemary.
I lost half of this Meyer lemon tree (Citrus × meyeri, Zones 9–11), which was about 6 feet tall, I removed the dead part and it is surviving and looks very healthy. I’m not sure I will get lemons this year, but I like the way it looks.
I purchased this plant in a starter pot from a local supermarket for $5, planted in early April and it has survived no water and too much water. I cant wait to make salsa.
This was how Aiken looked in January of 2026, but my garden survived and it’s been a great learning lesson and good for the soul. It reminded me why I love to garden.
This is the entry walkway to the front door. There are gardenias, osmanthus, viburnum, Burford hollies (Ilex cornuta ‘Dwarf Burford’, Zones 7–9), and hydrangea along the way.
This false cypress is on the opposite side of the front walkway and is wonderful highlight.
Yucca and prickly pear cacti (Opuntia humifusa, Zones 4–9) in the driest part of our yard, given to me by a relative in GA.
This blue agave was another neighbor share and it collapsed when Helene hit. But I peeled the dead away and replanted and it survived and actually produced two little pups, which I planted in my newly recreated desert garden.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful garden update, Johanna! It is great to see your garden thriving, and inspiring to hear the garden mishaps that you have remedied and learned from.
What has happened in your garden so far this year? Let us know in the comments, or consider sharing your 2026 garden photos with the blog. Follow the directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
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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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