Here are some of the flowers that are blooming away in my garden in eastern Virginia. May in this part of the country marks the transition from spring to summer, and I’m enjoying everything looking lush and vigorous before the real heat of summer sets in and the weeds start getting away from me.

Roses are in full swing right now. This is ‘Marie Pavie’, a little rose that has really impressed me with its incredibly prolific flowers, stellar disease resistance, and even a nice scent! It is so loaded down with flowers that it is literally drooping under their weight, which, I think, gives it an appealing, slightly rumpled, romantic look.

Rosa laevigata is native to Asia but goes by the common name of Cherokee rose because it has naturalized around the warmer parts of North America. Only hardy to around Zone 7, it thrives in the heat and humidity of a Southeastern summer, producing huge numbers of the large, simple, white, fragrant flowers. Farther south it can spread into wild areas. I’ve never seen it become invasive around here, but just to be sure, I’ll deadhead it to prevent it from setting seeds.

My very small rock garden is looking good right now. I’ve built up this area with 6 to 8 inches of sand and gravel to provide good drainage, with cheap ceramic tiles inserted to create crevices that guide plants’ roots deep. It is a good habitat for plants that love good drainage and might resent the heat and humidity to come. This dianthus (‘Red Penny’, Zones 4–8) is doing much better than I had hoped.

Behind the dianthus, this tiny little Silene (‘Pink Surprise’, Zones 4–8) has thrilled me. A lot of these little plants in the genus Silene hate hot summers, but this one has done wonderfully, nearly covering itself with sweet pink flowers each year.

I got this little campanula (bellflower) from a friend and don’t know the name, which is a shame because I really love the sweet purple flowers that come multiple times over the summer. In typical campanula fashion, however, it is starting to spread. But I think it is too small to actually become a weedy problem.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

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.

If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.