Garden Photo of the Day

Joseph’s Favorite Flowers of the Year

Highlights from the past year

rose bushes

This is your GPOD editor, Joseph, sharing some photos with you today. As the gardening season winds down, I like to go through the photos I’ve taken over the year and reflect on what plants I liked best. I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you today, and I hope you’ll send in some of your highlights from the year as well so we can all see what everyone enjoyed the most from their 2021 garden.

daffodil called ‘Cassata’This is a daffodil called ‘Cassata’ (Narcissus ‘Cassata’, Zones 4–8) that I saw on a spring visit to Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Virginia. I loved it, and now I’ve got some bulbs of it planted in my new garden in Indiana. I can’t wait to see it bloom next spring!

‘Moonlight Sensation’Another favorite daffodil is ‘Moonlight Sensation’ (Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’, Zones 4–8), here blooming in my old garden in Virginia. It is a delicate color and bloomed its head off. I’m happy the new owner of my garden will be enjoying this come spring, and I have of course planted more in my new garden.

rose bushI’ve grown this rose for a while, but this year it really outdid itself. It is marketed under the name ‘Oso Easy Peachy Cream’ in the United States, but it also goes by ‘Nice ’n’ Easy’ and ‘Apricot Garland’ in other countries. Whatever the name, it is a great performer, just covering itself with flowers.

sweet peas LathyrusSweet peas (Lathyrus annus, annual) did great for me this year. They can be a little fussy, but by starting them early and making sure they had rich soil, I got a nice crop of wonderfully fragrant flowers.

Asparagus officinalisAsparagus (Asparagus officinalis, Zones 3–10) is a delicious vegetable, but I was impressed by how pretty the mature stems are, especially when covered with dew and catching the morning light like they are here.

This is from my old garden in Virginia, where, thanks to the hot, humid weather, a lot of lavender plants didn’t thrive. But this variety, Lavandula ‘Phenomenal’ (Zones 5–9), did great, and I loved cutting the wonderfully scented bloom stems.

Cosmos bipinnatusI always like growing cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, annual), but this pretty variety called ‘Double Click’ with very full-petaled flowers was new to me this year. I really enjoyed it!

Oakleaf hydrangeasOakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia, Zones 5–9) are great plants, but this variety ‘Snowflake’ takes it up a notch with double flowers with extra petals. I saw this at a botanic garden and can’t wait to get one of my own.

ornamental onionI took this picture of the wonderful ornamental onion Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zones 4–8) at Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles, Michigan. Planted in mass like this, it looks just stunning.

African violetsI’m enjoying a new collection indoors: African violets (Saintapaulia hybrids). There are a lot of great new hybrids with beautiful colors and forms, and I’m really enjoying their beauty as the snow starts flying outside.

View Comments

Comments

  1. User avater
    simplesue 12/09/2021

    Hmmm...didn't get an email notification for todays GPOD, but came here looking for it...so glad I did....
    Wow your Sweet Peas are AMAZING! & after seeing your photo of Lavandula ‘Phenomenal’ ...just beautiful I can almost smell it!
    Just the inspiration I needed on this freezing cold day!

  2. User avater
    bdowen 12/09/2021

    Wonderful to see your photos. Favorites: the roses and sweet peas. Wish I had success with them. Thank you for helping us all to share our gardens.

  3. User avater
    cynthia2020 12/09/2021

    Hi, Joseph. I was most intrigued by the Double Click cosmos - looks a bit like a dahlia, but probably easier to grow...
    Wishing you happiness in your new home!

  4. btucker9675 12/09/2021

    Thank you for these wonderful photos! That Moonlight Sensation daffodil is just gorgeous... I have had absolutely no luck with daffs here in my NC clay and finally gave up but still love them so much. Same with the sweet peas - I am filled with envy!

  5. nicki_s 12/09/2021

    Wonderful photos! You've definitely made me want to give sweet peas and lavender a try.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Related Articles

The Latest