Blooms for Every Season

Gardening in California has no off-season. With a little planning and careful planting, you can make your garden a place where blooms are present year-round for your enjoyment and for the sustenance of bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators.

Take an inventory of what’s in your garden already and note the bloom periods of each plant. If there are months with little or nothing in bloom, identify plants that will be in flower at those times. Search for a range of plant types—trees, vines, shrubby perennials, herbaceous perennials, and annuals—so that you can have blooms at different heights and filling in different spots in your garden. Start by adding one plant in bloom each season. Add multiples of that same plant in different spots in your yard and you’ll not only attract more pollinators, but also create a sense of continuity in your garden design. Season by season, you’ll grow your garden to be a perpetual bloom factory.

The following list offers suggestions for all four seasons of blooming plants. Keep in mind, that flowers are not the only way to add year-round interest. Look for plants with colorful foliage or interesting bark to complement the flowering plants and your garden will put on a spectacular show season after season.

Spring

• Trees
  • California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
  • Cherry (ornamental or fruiting) (Prunus spp.)
  • Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)

• Groundcovers/vines
  • Clematis (Clematis spp.)
  • Iceplant (Delosperma cooperii)
  • Wisteria (Wisteria spp.)

•  Perennials
  • Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)
  • Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
  • Rose (Rosa spp.)

• Annuals
  • Clarkia (Clarkia amoena)
  • Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
  • Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

Summer

• Trees
  • Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
  • Flame tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata)
  • Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)

•  Groundcovers/vines
  • Lantana (Lantana montevidensis)
  • Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)
  • Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans)

Fall

•  Trees
  • Chinese flame tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata)
  • Floss silk tree (Chorisia speciosa)
  • Nile tulip tree (Markhamia lutea)
• Groundcovers/vines
  • Climbing nightshade (Solanum ‘Jalisco Navidad’)
  • Silver lace vine (Polygonum aubertii)
  • Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata)
• Perennials
  • Aster (Aster spp.)
  • Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum)
  • Dahlia (Dahlia spp.)
• Annuals
  • Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
  • Cineraria (Cineraria spp.)
  • Scabiosa (Scabiosa atropurpurea)

Winter

• Trees
  • Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
  • Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.)
  • Witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
• Groundcovers/vines
  • Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
  • Lilac vine (Hardenbergia spp.)
  • Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)
• Perennials
  • Camellia (Camellia sasanqua)
  • Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)
  • Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis)
• Annuals
  • Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule)
  • Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea)
  • Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana)

Search PlantLust.com for plants that blooms in different seasons and are suitable to your region!