Hi GPODers!
Last time we saw Lila Johnson’s garden in Mill Creek, Washington (Zone 8b), it was covered in a fresh coating of snow (Lila’s Lovely Snow Scenes in Washington). Today she is finally back to share the riot of color that has exploded this summer. If you’ve seen Lila’s garden on the blog before (get a refresher with some of her previous submissions: Lila’s Colorful Containers, Lila’s Autumn Garden, The Flowers of August, and many more), you know that color is abundant every year and in every season. However, this submission might be the most vibrant we’ve received from Lila so far.
Hi Fine Gardening. We’ve had a dry, but UP and down temperature summer this year in Mill Creek, Washington.
Most sunny mornings I stroll around our yard with a coffee cup in hand and my iPhone/camera in my pocket. I never know what treasure will capture my attention. This morning I set my coffee cup in the dirt to take a photo of a hovering hummingbird . . . I missed!
This is the first year I added a few red geraniums to our patio pots and other sunny locations in the garden. I am a pink lover, but next year I’m already planning a red/pink combo for the garden containers, which I hope will be appreciated by the 10th Annual Mill Creek Garden Tour 2026 attendees. My husband, who is my garden maintenance guy, has finally agreed to be on the tour after our neighbor suggested others needed to see it. It’s not perfect, but it is loved and cared for by us. It brings us such joy.
Enjoy the photos,
Lila
The annual nonstop begonias and impatiens are still going strong in August.
Zoom out from those annuals and you’ll see Lila’s diverse mix of perennials behind. Variegated hostas and a couple of different varieties of fuchsia enhance the color palette of this mostly shade foundation bed.
Perennials planted two to three years ago are finally filling in and looking beautiful. I’ve become a big fan of purple blazing star (Liatris spicata, Zones 3–8).
For pink plant lovers like Lila, Seaside Serenade® Fire Island hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘HORTFIRE’, Zones 4–9) is an outstanding addition to the garden. Fire Island is a compact variety, reaching about 3 feet tall and wide, but the smaller size doesn’t compromise the number of big, long-lasting blooms you’ll enjoy. The serrated bicolored blooms, which are mostly pink at this point in the season, add even more to the landscape than your average mophead.
Lila’s patio and her many container plantings are like eruptions of color throughout her verdant landscape. Red was an outstanding addition, and I’m sure the Mill Creek Garden Tour will adore the combinations you plant up next year, Lila—I hope you share your creations with the blog then, too.
Another look at Lila’s blazing stars, which add a bright, vertical pop of color against hydrangeas and lilies. The fluffy purple blooms of blazing star are fabulous, but I equally love the spiky foliage that provides a very unique texture.
Our July 2024 garden was featured on the cover of the June/Summer 2025 Mill Creek Living magazine. It’s a local magazine that is mailed to all the residents of our city. I’m thinking we should frame it!
Thank you for another spectacular submission from your garden, Lila, and congratulations on that stunning magazine cover. Your summer color is a joy.
Let’s keep the garden color coming! Whether you’re currently in peak bloom or the most vibrant time in your beds are spring days that have come and passed, we’d love to see the most colorful corners of your garden on 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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