Hi GPODers!
One of the many special aspects of Garden Photo of the Day is our ability to see how a garden evolves through the seasons and over years. Lila Johnson’s garden in Mill Creek, Washington (Zone 8b) is one that we have had the pleasure of seeing in many different iterations (Check out some of her previous submissions: Lila’s Azaleas in Washington, Spring Greens and Purples in the PNW, Lila’s Colorful Containers in Washington, Lila’s August Color, Lila’s Autumn Garden, and more), and each new submission still brings exciting new color and interest. Today we’re enjoying another spectacular spring submission with some of the familiar greens and purples that we have seen from Lila’s garden in the past, as well as exciting new additions she has made in time for her gardening club’s annual tour later this year.
Hi, my husband and I are working hard, weather permitting, getting our yard ready for a July 25, 2026, Mill Creek Garden Tour. I’ve been a member of the Mill Creek Garden Club since 2008, and I am “retiring” from board activities, going out with a MIC DROP of showing our garden at this fundraiser. It is a “perfectly beautiful to us”garden and we do love to share it.
Ah, spring! It’s unpredictable as usual. We had a couple 70 degree days and now we’re back down into the upper 40’s at night with 50’s in the daytime.
For the tour we are packing in the summer annuals for color, and they could use the sun, as could we. My attached photos don’t have a lot of color, but even my husband remarks at the “many shades of green” in the spring. I hope you enjoy a bit of Pacific NW, the springtime version. (North of Seattle, WA, Zone 8b)
Think SUNSHINE!
Lila Johnson
Baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) ground cover, Himalayan maidenhair ferns (Adiantum venustum, Zones 5–9). I wish I could identify the large, glossy leaf plant. It comes back year after year in this shady location….and I “pinch” it back to keep it in scale with everything else. There’s also a hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica, Zones 5–10) growing.
Purple heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) and deer fern (Blechnum spicant, Zones 5–8) with an old, dry branch in a lime green planter on a shady patio, near our Woodland Garden area.
Clematises: ‘H.F.Young’ (Clematis ‘H.F. Young’, Zones 4–9) on the left and ‘The President’ (C. ‘The President’, Zones 4–9) on the right. The arbor leads to a grassy area with a bluestone patio nestled nearby.
A close up picture of ‘The President’ clematis. We used fishing tackle and screw eyes to help climb up the arbor.
A work in progress for the July 25 garden tour – a mini-Japanese garden. We’ve moved things around, so now I need to adjust the “river” rocks and add a bit of gravel to the area. (AND clean the back of our house there when I’m done!) Baby’s tears (stepable ground cover that loves shade), deer ferns and a couple different hostas. You can see the droppings of a very old Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica, Zones 5–8) on the right. And in the lower left corner, part of a wire cloche is visible; we have a real battle with rabbits.
More from our mini-Japanese garden, which is awaiting bark (Fertil-Mulch) to be added next week. The Japanese maple that “towers” over this mini-garden is ‘Olsen’s Frosted Strawberry’ (Acer palmatum ‘Olsen’s Frosted Strawberry’, Zones 6–8). It has been in our garden about 4 years, and this spring I finally pruned it so it doesn’t get too tall or brush up against our windows.
This is the mini-Japanese garden from a distance. I pruned the ‘Olsen’s Frosted Strawberry’ Japanese maple. It stands over the garden below. We still have to put down the Fertil-Mulch and help the grass perk up a bit, but we have over 60 days to get it looking nice. The two Japanese pieris are over 25 years old and they will get a haircut when they are done blooming.
Another purple clematis, ‘The President’, I think. This is our Butterfly Garden, all perennials, awaiting warmth, sunshine and bark!
Thank you so much for sharing this incredible update on your spring garden, Lila! Your “many shades of green” are delightful this time of year, but I know the array of color that will be on display for your garden tour will be sublime.
I know many GPODers generously open their garden for local tours, and I hope we have a chance to see some photos from those incredible peak-season displays. If you’re gearing up for a garden showing this year, let us know in the comments or consider sharing photos of the progress that has been made so far this spring. Follow the directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
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