Happy Friday, GPODers!
It has been a fabulous week of old friends and new here at Garden Photo of the Day. We started on Monday with an incredible introduction to Ann Gilmour’s garden in New Jersey (check out Part 1 and Part 2, if you missed them), and we’re the ending the week with an update from Bonnie Plikaytis in North Georgia. Bonnie has shared many spectacular scenes from her woodland garden in the past (check out some previous submissions: A Photo Journey Through the Seasons of 2022, Garden Stumperies, Autumn Colors in North Georgia, and Winter Beauty in Bonnie’s Garden), which we admired so much that we featured it in the print magazine (A Woodland Garden That Takes Inspiration from Nature)! Today she’s back to share some highlights from this spring.
Spring is officially over, and it was a beauty. Rain was plentiful, and the plants emerged from winter ready to burst forth with foliage and flowers. This year there were challenges from the deer and voles. Living in a woodland setting, one must remember we share the forest with all that live here and that this was their home first.
Spring invites a bit of whimsy as seen in this photo of a snail sculpture, made from discarded metal items, smiling with glee among the native columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, Zones 3–8).
These red trilliums (Trillium erectum, Zones 4–9) were a transplant from a friend’s garden several years ago, so I do not know the species or variety. Trilliums are always a lovely announcement of spring.
When ‘Percy Wiseman’ rhododendron (Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Percy Wiseman’, Zones 6–9) blooms, it puts on a kaleidoscope of color from red to pink, ending in creamy peach. Needless to say, it is a real show-stopper!
This spring we added ‘Purple Ghost’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Purple Ghost’, Zones 5–9) to the front garden near several Damozel rhododendrons (Rhododendron ‘Damozel’, Zones 4–8). The red blooms of the Damozel create a nice color echo with the bright red leaves of the Purple Ghost.
This ‘Spotty Dotty’ mayapple (Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’, Zones 6–9) was given to me by a gardening friend several years ago. This is the first spring it developed the unusual shaggy red blooms under the leaves. The large spotted leaves always attract the attention of garden visitors.
Royal fern (Osmunda regalis, Zones 3–10) is often not recognized as a fern by some visitors. Its unusual-shaped fronds with the bronze-colored fertile fronds give it the common name flowering fern, though it does not produce actual flowers.
This is a view within Cody’s Garden, which is protected from the deer by a fence. Looking from bottom to top, there are ‘Trevi Fountain’ lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘Trevi Fountain’, Zones 4–8); Champion’s wood fern (Dryopteris championii, Zones 5–8); left side in the back is ‘Hayes Starburst’ smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Hayes Starburst’, Zones 4–8), with its delicate white double blooms; center, ‘Oregon Sunset’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Oregon Sunset’, Zones 5–9); right, Tiny Tuff Stuff™ mountain hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata ‘MAKD’, Zones 4–9).
This spring, the butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, Zones 3–9) started blooming early and continues to bloom. I certainly am no butterfly expert, but Siri says this is a great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele).
Another Japanese maple added to the garden this year is ‘Summer Gold’ (Acer palmatum ‘Summer Gold’, Zones 5–9), which gives a lovely pop of color to even shady areas of the garden. Planted in front is beautiful wood fern (Dryopteris pulcherrima, Zones 6–9), an outstanding evergreen fern. Also seen is leopard plant (Farfugium japonicum, Zones 7–9), which has yellow flowers in early fall.
Cody is the Guardian of the Garden. When he spots a deer, you know immediately from his verbal response that he has beagle and coon hound in his heritage! He is a good boy and my gardening companion.
Thank you so much for this selection of stunning photos from your spring garden, Bonnie! It never disappoints, and every year there is something new to marvel at in your woodland wonderland.
What were your spring highlights? Was there a plant that put on a particularly powerful performance, or a corner of the garden that wowed in every way possible? It’s not too late to look back on the previous season and share some highlights with Garden Photo of the Day! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
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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.
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