Last summer we asked you to send in photos and stories behind the gardens you’re most proud of. We received so many wonderful entries of well-loved gardens ­— big, small, colorful, tall, and some with stories that go back for generations. These are a few of our favorites.

A Cheerful Sight

Jan Clark, Indian Trail, a member of Union Power Cooperative

Welcome Blooms

Janis Harless, Jefferson, a member of Blue Ridge Energy

Mountain Garden Volunteers

Katherine Shoffner, Boone, a member of Blue Ridge Energy

A Spicy Crop

Michael Isley, Belews Creek, a member of EnergyUnited

Flowers by the Sound

Victoria Byers, Kitty Hawk, a member of Blue Ridge Energy

Garden Palette

Collette Anderson, Chapel Hill, a member of Piedmont Electric

Busy Pollinators

Jonathan Young, Danbury, a member of EnergyUnited

The Tomato Plant Next Door

Amy Johnson, Windsor, a member of Roanoke Electric

Two Rows for Grandmother

Garret Bullard (age 12), Stedman, a member of South River EMC

A Little Patch of Land

Bessie Stinson, Indian Trail, a member of Union Power Cooperative

A Giant Among Castor Beans

Cindy Pyo, Fayetteville, a member of Lumbee River EMC

Lifelong Gardener

Nancy Stanley, North Wilkesboro, a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC

Abby at Work

Stacy Holloman, Seven Spring, a member of Tri-County EMC

All About Peonies

Adriana Feng, Raleigh, a member of Wake Electric

Canned Heat

Donna Griffith, Siler City, a member of Central EMC

Muscadine Memories

Frankie Graham, Fayetteville, a member of Lumbee River EMC

Rainy Day Lilies

Heike Annucci, Hudson, a member of Blue Ridge Energy

Going Vertical

Jerry Talley, Concord, a member of Union Power

For the Fairies

Rhiannon Bostic, Leland, a member of Brunswick Electric

Backyard Oasis

Richard Stepputtis, Saint Clairsville (Ohio), a member of Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative

Reclaimed Compound

Ronnie Davis, Hillsborough, a member of Piedmont EMC

Phlox of Many Colors

Edith Webb, Highlands, a member of Haywood EMC

From a Tiny Seed

Ed Miller, Dallas, a member of Rutherford EMC

Nary a Weed

Nancy Ellis, Ramseur, a member of Randolph EMC

What’s Old is New Again

Edit Arnette, Lenoir, a member of Blue Ridge Energy

The Pardue Family Garden

Lyndsey Nichols (granddaughter of Jerry Pardue, Siloam, a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC)