Hi GPODers!

Earlier in the season we got a garden update from a frequent contributor and commenter, Beth Tucker in Waxhaw, N.C. (check out those posts here: Early Spring in Beth’s North Carolina Garden, Part 1 and Part 2). At the start of April her garden was already filling with fabulous blooms, but a lot more have emerged since then. Her stunning irises are popping up all over her garden and adding a vast array of colors to her landscape, but that is just one of many plants that put on a peak floral performance in May.

I’ll be sending more photos in a week or so; the garden changes dramatically this time of year! Our backyard is mostly pool, surrounded by garden borders and a natural wooded area. I left a small grassy area on one side for the poodles to run around on. There are three trees, and they run figure eights around them. Our lot is just under half an acre, and it has been my goal to get rid of as much lawn as the HOA will allow . . . so far, so good!

A ‘Blatant’ bearded iris (Iris ‘Blatant’, Zones 3–10); I get all of my irises from Nola’s Iris Farm in California.

Parker the poodle with ‘Coral Charm’ peony (Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’, Zones 3–8)

American Wisteria ‘Amethyst Falls’ (Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’, Zones 5–9) and ‘Don Juan’ climbing rose (Rosa ‘Don Juan’, Zones 5–10) on side fence

Double Knock Out^® rose (Rosa ‘Radtko’, Zones 5–11) and Diablo ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’, Zones 3–7) hiding a utility box in our front side yard

‘Handiwork’ iris (Iris ‘Handiwork’, Zones 3–9)

‘Hell’s Fire’ iris (Iris ‘Hell’s Fire’, Zones 3–9)

‘Firewitch’ dianthus (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’, Zones 3–8) with ‘Blatant’ and ‘Blue Rhythm’ iris (Iris ‘Blue Rhythm’, Zones 3–8) in side border along pool

Gravel path borders in early spring

View of a pool border and part of the wooded area in early spring. The azaleas are ‘Autumn Ivory’ (white) (Rhododendron ‘Roblev’, Zones 7–10) and ‘Autumn Royalty’ (pale pink) (Rhododendron ‘Conlec’, Zones 6–10). There are also hostas, Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum humile, Zones 5–8), a ‘Gatsby Gal’ oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Brenhill’, Zones 5–9), and a ‘Dandy Man’ rhododendron (Rhododendron × ‘LAVJ2011’, Zones 4–8) planted on the berm.

‘Baby Kim’ lilac (Syringa × ‘SMNSDTP’, Zones 3–8)

‘Wine and Roses’ weigela (Weigela florida ‘Alexandra’, Zones 4–8)

Thank you so much for another fabulous floral spring update, Beth! It’s incredible to see your collection of blooms expand as the season kicks into high gear, and I’m eagerly anticipating your next batch of photos.

As Beth mentioned in her introduction, gardens can transform rapidly and dramatically this time of year. Flowers appear overnight and fade just as abruptly. Before spring blooms completely make way for the stars of summer, consider sharing your garden photos with Garden Photo of the Day. 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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