By Johnson 
Hi GPODers!
You may think that working for a gardening magazine is the equivalent of being paid to spend hours in your garden, documenting essential chores and taking endless photos of the beauty you’re cultivating. Unfortunately, this often isn’t the case. While our home gardens are a great place for trailing, experimenting, and chasing personal garden joys, we often spend far more hours in the gardens of others rather than our own (admittedly, not something we can complain too much about). This is exactly the case for Jack Coyier, our in-house garden photographer and videographer.
Jack, based in Des Moines, Iowa, is constantly traveling to gardens across the country (and globe) to capture stunning gardens in the most breathtaking ways. But in-between work trips and the hours he spends behind a computer editing footage, Jack occasionally has the time to explore his own plantings and capture his home garden with the same thoughtfulness and technique that he so masterfully captures others. Below is a sampling of stunning photos from one of those rare occasions last month.
The focus of these photos are the flowers that were filling Jack’s garden last month, but there is also plenty of gorgeous foliage to admire. ‘Burning Hearts’ false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Burning Hearts’, Zones 3–9) blooms are made even more vibrant when contrasted with the dark ‘Royal Purple’ smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, Zones 4–8) leaves behind.
Continuing with this high-contrast color theme, Cannova® Bronze Scarlet canna lily (Canna x generalis ‘Bronze Scarlet’, Zones 7–11) has bright, fire-engine red blooms and tropical foliage in a delectable deep bronze.
It’s clear that Jack’s garden is full of hot shades as it transitions to summer. More bold blooms come from these ‘Tuscan Sun’ false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Tuscan Sun’, Zones 3–9).
If you’re looking for flowers that will pack a hot, vibrant punch, Luscious® Citrus Blend™ lantana (Lantana camara ‘Balandusbi’, Zones 9–11 or as an annual) will always be an excellent addition. Clusters of bright reds, oranges, and yellows make them great companions for a multitude of other flowers in beds and containers.
A great example of a plant lantana would pair with wonderfully is the always-amazing butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, Zones 3–9), creating a combination that is both beautiful and beneficial.
Yet another perfect garden moment captured by Jack. Layers of colors and textures are made that much more captivating by the subtle glow of the sun. Light can be your best friend or greatest enemy when planting a garden, and it’s no different when you’re trying to photograph one. With Jack’s years of experience, he knows exactly how to make natural light work for him.
When your plantings are missing a little something, a container is an easy way to bridge those garden gaps. Red, orange, and yellow is the dominate color palette in Jack’s beds, but a trio of annuals helps tie in some of the other pink blooms that are scattered throughout.
As a garden photographer, it’s no surprise that plants with high contrast are favored in Jack’s garden. The dark foliage on this bright pink dahlia makes it look like the blooms are going to burst right through my screen!
Lastly, this close up of ‘Southern Charm’ verbascum (Verbascum ‘Southern Charm’, Zones 5–9) is absolutely magnificent. With just a few flowers open, I can’t imagine the beauty that awaits as this spire continues to unfurl its peachy-pink blooms.
I hope you all enjoyed this gorgeous collection of flower photos from Jack! I’m always blown away by Jack’s incredible photography, and hope you feel inspired to indulge your inner garden photographer this week. If you have a little extra time in the morning or late afternoon, break out your camera or phone and pretend you’re photographing your garden for a glossy magazine spread. Have fun and experiment—you might get a whole new perspective on your plantings. And when the photoshoot is over, consider sharing your favorite shots 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.
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