Who says you have to settle for bright and beautiful flowers only during the height of summer? With a little planning, you can enjoy flowers that bloom in the spring, summer, or fall. And even in winter, many different types of cold-hardy winter bloomers can add color and life to your garden.
A garden with year-round blooms includes many different types of flowers, from annuals, which add instant impact for just one season, to long-lived perennials that return year after year. Flowering vines that clamber up a trellis or arbor provide vertical interest, while sturdy ground cover plants solve problems such as protecting hillsides from erosion. Flowering shrubs also have a place in your garden, providing color, structure, and year-round interest.
The most important thing to remember when choosing plants is to read the plant tag or description to make sure you're giving each plant the sun exposure it needs. Flowers that need full sun, which is considered 6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day, won't bloom well in shade. And shade-loving flowers will fry in the hot sun. Finally, don't forget to choose plants that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here).
Read more: How to Make a Pollinator Garden That Actually Works
Whether your garden is big or small, cottage-style or formal, or simply an arrangement of containers on your deck, patio or balcony, read on to discover the most popular types of flowers that will inspire you to start planting!
86 Best Types of Flowers to Plant
Forget-Me-Not Flower
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love it: These adorable pink, white or blue flowers are charming at the front of borders. Make sure to plant one of the native species, Myosotis alpestris, laxa, macrosperma, or verna. If you chose the non-native species is Myosotis sylvatica, which orginiated in Europe, plant in containers or deadhead before it set seeds because this plant is considered invasive in some states.
Read more: How to Grow Forget-Me-Not Flowers
Daphne Shrub
When it blooms: Late winter to early spring
Why we love it: The sweet scent of daphne flowers is like no other, bringing color and fragrance to the late winter or spring garden.
Read more: How to Grow Daphne Shrubs
Snowdrop
When it blooms: Late winter
Why we love it: Charming, nodding little heads pop up when snow still is on the ground in northern climates. These darling flowers, which are fall-planted bulbs, are deer and rabbit-resistant, too.
Read more: How to Care for Galanthus, or Snowdrop Flowers
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Bearded Iris
When it blooms: Late spring to early summer
Why we love it: Irises come in every imaginable shade from palest pink to deep purple and even nearly black. They're easy-care perennials; plant the rhizomes in the fall and you'll have flowers for years.
Read more: How to Care for Irises
Dahlia
When it blooms: Late summer to fall
Why we love it: The sheer number of varieties are astounding. You can grow everything from tiny pom pom shaped balls to dinner-plate sized blooms in every color of the rainbow. They're perennial in the South, but the bulbs must be dug up in the fall in northern climates and replanted in the spring.
Read more: How to Care for Dahlias
Winter Aconite
When it blooms: Late winter
Why we love it: Winter aconite is one of the earliest blooming flowers, offering precious nectar to pollinators very early in the season. They're also deer and rabbit resistant. Plant the bulbs in fall for brilliant late winter color.
Read more: 38 Deer Resistant Plants Bambi Won't Go Near
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Fritillaria
When it blooms: Mid-spring
Why we love it: Fun bell-shaped flowers nod over long, grassy foliage on these unique spring bloomers. Plant the bulbs in fall for spring color; plus, rodents tend to leave these bulbs alone.
Read more: 13 Best Spring-flowering Bulbs
Helenium
When it blooms: Mid-summer to fall
Why we love it: Cheery blooms of orange, gold and sunny yellow make this sturdy perennial a must-have. Plus, pollinators adore it!
Read more: 27 Perennials and Plants to Keep Your Garden Beautiful
Cranesbill
When it blooms: Late spring to early summer
Why we love it: The delicate pink, purple or white flowers bloom in profusion atop dainty fern-like foliage. Cranesbill is a super-hardy ground cover plant that has a pleasant, minty scent that causes deer and rabbits to leave it alone.
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Icelandic Poppy
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love it: The papery blooms of this delightful flower almost don't look real! They come in every color imaginable. Perennial in cool climates, they are grown as annuals in hot regions.
Floss Flower
When it blooms: Spring to fall
Why we love it: Floss flower has pretty little pink, white, or purple-blue flowers that resemble embroidery floss. This annual makes great filler for beds and mixed containers.
Elderberry Shrub
When it blooms: Early summer
Why we love it: Clusters of lacy white or pink flowers appear in early summer. New varieties of this fast-growing shrub boast striking dark burgundy or lemony-gold foliage. It's also deer and rabbit resistant.
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Coral Bells
When it blooms: Mid-summer
Why we love it: Coral bells is low-maintenance perennial that's typically grown more for its bright foliage, which comes in every shade from lime green to deep burgundy. However, its tiny spikes of flowers also are loved by hummingbirds.
Witch Hazel Shrub
When it blooms: Late winter
Why we love it: Funky-looking blooms of yellow or orange appear on the branches before this shrub leafs out. They provide welcome color to the late winter landscape.
Love in a Mist
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love it: Besides its delightful name, love in a mist a striking flower that's also edible! It's grown as an annual but it readily self-sows every year.
Read more: 15 Pretty Edible Flowers for Decorating Your Dinner Plate
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Clematis
When it blooms: Spring to late summer
Why we love it: Clematis is a beautiful vine for fences, arbors and lamp posts. But be patient; it often takes perennials such as clematis several years to get established and take off.
Read more: How to Plant and Grow Clematis
Cornflower
When it blooms: Early to mid-summer
Why we love it: The fringed flowers of cornflower add cheery color the summer borders. You'll find them in shades of pink, white, and, of course, cornflower blue. This annual is easy to grow from seed. Deadhead the blooms to keep the plants flowering.
Read more: How to Deadhead Flowers and Why It's Necessary
Bleeding Heart
When it blooms: Late spring
Why we love it: Tiny heart-shaped flowers are reason enough to love this perennial. But the beautiful blooms also offer food for hummingbirds early in the season.
Read more: 17 Showy Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds
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Azalea
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love them: These pretty shrubs tell you spring is in full swing. They're gorgeous planted in masses with other spring-flowering perennials. Some types rebloom later in the season.
Read more: How to Plant and Grow Azaleas
Lavender
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love it: This incredibly-scented perennial is gorgeous planted in large swaths. Make sure you choose a variety that will survive winters in your region.
Read more: How to Grow Lavender
Arricca Elin SanSone
Terri Robertson
Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.
