Hi GPODers!

Spring is alive in the Pacific Northwest and submissions from Washington gardeners have flooded the GPOD inbox. Yesterday we got an update from Lila Johnson in Mill Creek, and today we’re staying on the western side of the state to see Diana Mears’s garden revitalization.

I am Diana Mears, and I garden in Western Washington. We moved into this house in 2016. The garden had been neglected, with all the shrubs being terribly pruned. There was gravel everywhere, placed over plastic and landscape fabric, three layers in many places. I have added many plants, to have different textures and bloom times than the rhododendrons and camellias that were there. I am including a picture from the property listing to show what I started with. The pictures are not all from the same year.

The picture from the property listing to show the “before” gardens. While a couple of benches are placed at the front of this bed, the hacked-back shrubs in misshapen mounds aren’t providing much shade to enjoy this spot.

Now, Diana has allowed the garden to fill in more, and the azaleas are rewarding her with an incredible floral display. One of Western Washington’s iconic mountain peaks is a stunning backdrop to this scene.

Just look at that color! With the layers of plastic and landscape fabric stripped away, these azaleas are absolutely thriving.

Layers upon layers of bright blooms! Diana has also added some reliable perennials, like this lovely clump of hellebores, to give all her beautiful shrubs some supporting players.

Gravel, once spread throughout the garden, is relegated to a curving path that allows easier access to Diana’s plantings. Those plantings are also much more diverse and interesting, as allowing these shrubs to recover from poor pruning gave her opportunities for new shade-lovers.

Thank you so much for this introduction to your garden, Diana! The resilience of our landscapes is endlessly inspiring, and seeing you transform a poorly maintained garden into a lush space with layers of interest shows that no garden is beyond rehabilitation.

We all know that gardens are forever a work in progress, but that doesn’t take away from the amazement in seeing a spectacular before and after. Whether you’ve recently completed a spring project or a total garden overhaul, consider sharing your progress 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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