Happy Monday GPODers!
We’ve seen a spectacular assortment of eye-catching plants, creative combinations and sublime scenes from Marty Oostveen’s garden in Douglassville, Pennsylvania (Zone 7a), but today we’ve got one last batch of photos showcasing her 2025 highlights. Be sure to check out the other 2025 highlights she shared, if you missed them: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
I finally got around to getting some more pictures from my gardening year 2025. We started out dry, after a very dry 2024, but then it started raining in spring, when suddenly the garden really came back to life.
‘The Yellow Garden”, which was made in memory of my mom, who loved everything yellow. A bit of pink snuck in when some yellow and orange coneflowers reverted to pink. In early summer the lilies take off and my garden turns into a fragrant yellow garden.
Beds near the She Shed. I grow the celosia from seed or buy a tray with small plants. Before planting, I cut every plant in half, making them bushier and fuller.
Clouds reflecting in my pond
These are the beds facing away from the She Shed. You can see the raised bed in the middle of the front garden. Around the raised bed are gravel paths and then one more bed facing the walkway in front of the house.
The bed at the sidewalk. This is the blue and yellow “Ukrainian Garden,” so named for my husband whose parents came from the Ukraine following WWII.
This is the bed near the She Shed with the celosia, now all grown in.
Baby ferns are growing in all the nooks and crannies of the old wood I use as edging for the beds. Ever so often I put a call out on my Facebook page to get more wood as pieces disintegrate into nothingness or birds pull them to pieces to search for insects.
A collection of hostas and pulmonaria around my yellow magnolia and summersweet (Clethra alnifolia, Zones 4–9).
I could go on and on, but there is always the upcoming season. Meanwhile I have digitalis and celosia seedlings growing in the basement, keeping me busy. In case anyone is interested, you can follow my garden on my Facebook page: Marty Oostveen
Happy gardening everyone!
Thank you so much for sharing all of these stunning photos of your gorgeous gardens with us, Marty! I hope 2026 provides you with just as many marvelous garden moments, and that we continue to see your inspiring updates and highlights.
The 2026 growing season will be in full swing before we know it, even if it still feels painfully far away for some, so consider sharing your garden highlights from last year before new flowers and fresh foliage steal our attention. Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
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, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also 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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