Facebook now has its timeline. Flowers have always had a timeline — a sequence of bloom timing across the seasons. And in my opinion, there’s a lot more to love about the Blooming Timeline.

Understanding the sequence of blooms is key to having a constant pop of color and excitement in your garden. Many gardeners use a carefully planned arrangement of perennials (bloom year after year) to achieve a harmonious blend of color, texture, height and bloom time for continuous eye candy. Of course, annuals (die off in a hard freeze) have their place in the mix.

Here’s a rough sketch of the sequence of bloom for popular perennials. Bonus: most of them are great cutting flowers that can go from garden to vase.

Blooming Timeline

Of course, some varieties of asters, for example, bloom earlier or later. And the bloom seasons vary a bit by region. However, this chart should serve as a good start to understanding the blooming timeline and help you design to fill any timing gaps you may have in your own garden.

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