Hi GPODers!

Yesterday we enjoyed some of the earliest spring blooms in Massachusetts from Barbara Owen (check that out here if you missed it: Barbara’s Beginning of Spring in Massachusetts), but today we’re heading south! Julie Prince has shared an update on her colorful garden in Albany, Georgia. We’ve only seen Julie’s garden after months of growth in summer and fall (Check out her previous submissions: Julie’s Georgia Garden in Summer and Fall: Part 1 and Part 2, Julie’s Georgia Garden, and Julie’s Garden in Late Summer and Fall 2023), and today we get to see her space as it starts to unfurl in spring.

My favorite pictures on GPOD are those that show the landscape and layout of the garden rather than individual plant pictures. I love seeing the layout of the garden and the plant combinations. That being said, I am sharing some individual or small area photos this time.

My garden has slowly unfolded. We enjoyed (???) a rare snow event in Southwest Georgia on January 22. In our yard we measured 6.5 inches accumulation, and it hung around for several days. I had no idea what would survive and what would suffer from the cold and wet conditions. I have been pleasantly surprised! The plants emerged pretty much as they would have otherwise, but it has been one thing at the time, thus the individual pictures.

Happy Gardening!

Julie Prince

The hellebores and daffodils came first, along with a few blooms on a new Japanese magnolia.

Julie’s new tree, a young lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora, Zones 5–8), started her season off with bursts of glowing pink.

The white bearded iris (Iris albicans, Zones 7–9) and the Candy Corn spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘NCSX1’, Zones 4–8) were spectacular!

That spectacular Candy Corn spirea as it first emerges with tiny shoots of fiery foliage.

A little later in the season and the spirea continues to be spectacular, filling in beautifully with bright chartreuse growth.

The creeping phlox (Phlox subulata, Zones 3–9) is beginning to cover a very difficult and rocky spot where a gravel driveway once was.

The beautiful butterfly was a surprise!

Autumn ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora, Zones 5–9) unfurled colorful fronds and joined the new foliage of coral bells.

While Julie’s bright and colorful flowers often grab the most attention, it’s clear she doesn’t skimp on fantastic foliage either. The vast variety of textures and shades of green in this vignette makes it endlessly interesting without a single bloom.

Phlox in another bed mingled with new foliage of an abelia.

The cherries on top of all of Julie’s designs are her beautiful containers. Bright red tuberous begonias and Illumination dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor ‘Illumination’, Zones 4–9) make for a bright and bold pairing that will demand even more attention as it grows in.

Although Julie experienced that unexpected snow last winter, her garden is absolutely thriving and already full of color. So much so, that these are only half of the photos she shared with us. We’ll be back in Georgia tomorrow to see more spring growth in her garden and Julie’s fabulous container plantings.

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.

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