Gardening Freebie: A Handy Planting and Blooming Chart, from me for you!

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Detail of the planting guide showing headings and notation across the bottom.

The growing season, or at least the first hope of it, is beginning to break through our winter thoughts like crocus here in Nova Scotia. Spring HAS sprung. So our minds turn to the sun and ideas of what new to plant, and where and when.

Planning a garden for seasonal interest can be a tricky procedure. Plants need to be added to the garden at different times and their blooming seasons are dramatically different. Most gardens suffer from the “late summer doldrums.” The most commonly utilized perennial plants tend to put on their best display in June through July. September is the month for Asters so it's taken are of. That leaves August as not all that appealing, unless you plant annuals.

I have a bit of an aversion to annuals. Mainly because they’re so…annual. I’d rather be having a D&B Soda in the back yard than wrangling with plants each and every year that don't even do you the courtesy of coming back.

So how do you deal with it? Either you have a mind like a steel trap (or steel wool, depending..) or you use a chart.

Click on the image and then save it to your desktop.

A planting and blooming chart is a handy way to keep track of the plants you have and add others that make sense to your overall garden scheme. It allows you to track when a plant blooms, as well as when to plant, regardless if they are purchased in pot or bulbs.

This helps you plan your garden with more confidence in knowing there will always be something to enjoy. The downloadable chart also has a space for “winter interest” so you can plan four season garden enjoyment, even if some of it is from behind glass.

If you’re interested in extending the enjoyment season in your garden, a planting chart is a must! The chart is designed for you to be able to mark—by month—the optimal planting time, length of blooming and if there is any winter interest in your selected plants. 

That's pretty much the essentials you need to choose and map out your garden plan.

Click on the image at left and you’ll get the chart on a separate page. Simply download it to your desktop and print. It’s RGB, 150 dpi and 8.5” x 11” (letter) size.

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