11 Readers Share Their Beautiful Gardens

It’s my favorite time of the year — when we feature the gorgeous gardens of the Cup of Jo community. Sprawling native wildflowers! Towering sunflowers! Candy-colored ranunculus! Every photo submission is a delight. So, without further ado, here are 11 readers’ gardens…

Both photos above: “My partner and I turned our front lawn into a native wildflower meadow five years ago. It has over 40 flower species, and the meadow is more than 2,000 square feet (larger than our house!). Folks walking or driving by always stop to tell us how much they love it. Random strangers have even dropped seed packets and love notes to the meadow into our mailbox!” — Annalisa, New Haven, Connecticut

“This has been a tough season for my family, but every time I see these happy ranunculus by my front door, I can’t help but smile.” — Laura, Northern Ireland

“Veggie gardens feel magical with kids. We grow tons of cherry tomatoes (perfect for little ones to pick), fairytale eggplants, blackberries, and pink lemonade blueberries, which turn a rose color when ripe.” — Sarah, Ridgefield, Connecticut

“We added chickens to our garden last year. My two-year-old named them Cashew, Evie, and Pumpkin. She loves feeding them and collecting eggs. They are voracious eaters, however, so I’m always shooing them away from my crops!” — Naudia, Nyack, New York

“My pride and joy is my agave. It’s big, bold, five feet tall, and the heart of my front yard. They typically live for about 25 years and flower only once before they die!” — Lisa, San Jose, California

“We moved three years ago to a remote island off the coast of Vancouver Island and bought a little 100-year-old yellow house. My friend said it looked like Miss Honey’s cottage from Matilda, and that has been the garden blueprint ever since. It’s all a work-in-progress, but it’s my wish is to keep building and growing this garden until I’m 100 years old.” — Jess, Cortes Island, Canada

“People don’t always realize when they’re starting out that gardens take a LOT of time. You can’t have your dream garden overnight without spending a ton of money, and there’s no amount of money that can manufacture the feel of a mature, well-tended garden. So, I’ve been trying to take things slowly. I recently built a graveled fire-pit area and breakfast nook. I love the feeling of manual labor, and seeing it come together is so satisfying!” — Gabby, Nashville

“When my husband and I moved into our home, my parents brought over seeds from their garden — cosmos, zinnias, marigolds. We got married in our backyard that summer and used the flowers in our bouquets. My father, who had been an avid gardener my whole life, passed away last year, just two weeks after my daughter was born. I saved the seeds from that summer and will plant them with her this spring. We’ll use the watering can my parents gave her; and when the flowers bloom, we’ll think of him.” — Chelsea, Ottawa, Canada

“Four years ago, my lovely grown-up daughters got me a peony plant for Mother’s Day. Its giant, fluffy scented blooms are now the biggest joy of my (mostly vegetable) garden.” — Sasha, Belgrade, Montana

“After the long dark winter, it’s so fun to see what we can bring to life — sunflowers, cucumbers, watermelon, catnip for the cats, and tomatoes that the dogs eat straight off the vines. Some years are more successful than others, but our garden makes us happy every summer.” — Lauren, Columbus, Ohio

“We’re so lucky that our next-door neighbors’ cherry tree and azaleas have been growing under their care for almost 40 years. The colors are incredible! This weekend, we had some stormy weather, so it was raining pink petals. My toddler loves to throw them up in the air like confetti.” — Emma, Philadelphia

Thank you so much for sharing! How are everyone else’s gardens coming along? We’d love to know.

P.S. 14 more readers share their gorgeous gardens and Abbey Nova’s Connecticut home is full of plants and books.

(Photos of Gabby Llewellyn by Mary Caroline Russel.)

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