Happy Friday, GPODers!
I would like to thank everyone that has submitted their garden photos over the past several months. When I took over GPOD last year, I had some work ahead of me to inject new life and engagement on the blog. While I hope to see even more gardeners and plant enthusiasts join our community, I think this summer and early fall submissions have been a testament to how this community continues to change and grow.
In 2024 I started the GPOD Vignettes series, showcasing the smaller submissions we occasionally get at Garden Photo of the Day, and did a handful of these posts throughout the year. The last GPOD Vignette was published in January of this year. But we received such a steady flow of submissions, which often ran long, that I haven’t had the space in the schedule to do another installment until today.
Here are the photos we’ve received to the GPOD inbox that couldn’t exist as stand-alone posts but were worthy of a moment in the spotlight. From early summer straight through the end of October, enjoy these garden moments, and consider sharing your own garden highlights with Garden Photo of the Day.
Check out previous GPOD Vignettes:
Valarie LeSeure in Springfield, Illinois (June)
Coneflowers and lupines keeping their cool in the hot weather: We may be suffering in this early summer heat wave, but coneflowers and lupines are thriving. I’ve been gardening in this space for over 25 years, and it has been the home to vegetables and an allium takeover, but it has never been as beautiful and thriving in this heat as it is this year.
Too hot to enjoy the sweltering summer garden? The nighttime garden beats the heat. The sun powers this nighttime garden with solar lighting, and then there are the cooling sounds of the pond.
Linda and Terry Walsh in Simcoe, Ontario (July)
We have sent photos in the past (Linda & Terry’s Garden in Ontario, Linda & Terry’s Garden: Revisited, and The Walshes’ Garden in Ontario) but have updated our five acres.
Maria Vandis (August)
Maria’s garden in August is full of flowers, especially lots of bright orange nasturtiums.
Jodi MacDonald in Littleton, Massachusetts (August)
Hi, my name is Jodi MacDonald. I live in Littleton, Massachusetts, and am happiest when in my garden. I try to plant mostly natives and have seen a wonderful increase in insects and birds as a result.
Here’s a black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) and a hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe) sharing the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Zones 3–6). Hydrangea in the background is not a native plant, but it is hard to live in Massachusetts and not have hydrangeas!
Margaret Woltjer in Olympia, Washington (September)
This shows how our garden is a habitat for wild critters—my zinnias grown from seed host pollinators from spring to late autumn.
This photo shows a honeybee that happened to be pollinating when this tiny Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) tried to climb aboard. The frog quickly got down, hanging from the fingernail(?) and twisting in the breeze for the better part of a minute until going to the next flower. I took a whole series of shots over 20 or 30 seconds, but this shows them best. Not the finest resolution, but I’m making a metal print of it for my “gallery.” (Taken Sept. 11, 2025 in Olympia, Washington)
Laurel Slaney (October)
A drone fly (Eristalis tenax) visiting a coreopsis
Beth Tucker in Waxhaw, North Carolina (October)
Although not as spectacular as the past few submissions, I thought I’d share my front porch and one of my fig harvests this season.
Beth is a frequent contributor, who often shares the fabulous flowers she grows in her garden (check out previous submissions here: Early and Midsummer in Beth’s North Carolina Garden, A Look Back at Beth’s Early Summer Garden, Early Spring in Beth’s Garden, Irises and More in Beth’s Garden, Beth’s Poolside Garden, and more). It’s no surprise to see she has great success with some edibles, too.
A fall display doesn’t need to be elaborate to be festive and fun. A bright yellow-orange mum ensures that classic autumn flare, while an agave and a mangave give it a warm-climate twist.
Just a few pieces of decor add a bit more personality and pizzazz to this simple trio, while amping up the fall vibes in Beth’s Southern garden.
Thank you again to all of the contributors who have graciously shared slices of their garden sanctuaries this year. It has been a pleasure showcasing the plant beauty you have cultivated, and I hope we are lucky enough to receive more updates from these special spaces.
If you’re new to the GPOD community or have long enjoyed the blog as a viewer but never a contributor, please consider sharing your garden photos this year. 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!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here
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