Seasonal Planning

Seasons in the garden

Garden Sketchbook divides the year into three main seasons — Spring, Summer, and Fall — each broken into early, mid, and late phases. That's nine moments in total, eight of them currently navigable in the season bar (early Spring sits in the track for visual symmetry but isn't yet active).

Viewing the seasons

The season bar lives at the bottom of the 3D view. Click any segment to jump straight to that moment, or step forward and back with the arrows on either end. As you move through the year, the 3D scene updates immediately — flowers appear and disappear, foliage shifts colour, and herbaceous perennials vanish during their dormant periods.

How plants behave through the year

Bloom timing

Some flowers, like tulips, give you one spectacular spring show and then bow out. Roses last longer, blooming from early summer well into fall. A few — certain irises, for example — surprise you by blooming twice, once in spring and again in fall.

Foliage personalities

Evergreens are your reliable friends — they look pretty much the same year-round. Deciduous plants offer drama, shifting from fresh spring green to rich summer foliage to spectacular fall colour. Woody perennials like roses lose their leaves, but their bare branches stay visible; herbaceous perennials like peonies disappear entirely in winter, then reappear in spring.

The bloom calendar

Open any plant's info modal (in the library or by double-clicking a plant on the canvas) to see its bloom calendar — a coloured timeline showing exactly when it flowers.

Designing for the whole year

Each season has its moment to shine in the garden. If your goal is year round interest, you can use the season bar to step through the year and find the gaps, then use bloom-time filters in the plant library to fill them.

Spring — the opening act

Spring is about anticipation. Snowdrops and crocuses push through still-cold soil, flowering trees put on their show before leaves emerge, and woodland wildflowers race to bloom before the canopy fills in. Later in spring, the dramatic bloomers — irises, peonies, alliums — steal the show.

Summer — lush and bright

Summer is when the garden shows off. Peak perennial time: echinacea, bee balm, and roses taking centre stage. Foliage plants like hostas and ornamental grasses really fill out, giving the garden a lush, full look.

Fall — the grand finale

Your garden doesn't have to fizzle as summer ends. Asters and mums step up, maple and oak leaves colour the landscape, and architectural grasses stand out.

Winter — quiet beauty

You can't see winter in the 3D view yet (see above), but it's still worth planning for. Winter gardens are about structure and texture — evergreens become the main characters, interesting bark patterns emerge, and dried grasses and seed heads catch snow. The way to plan for it in Garden Sketchbook is to make sure your "late fall" view already has enough structure to carry into the cold months: that's what your winter garden will look like once everything else has gone dormant.

A few pro tips

Think in waves

Instead of trying to have everything bloom at once, plan waves of colour that flow through the seasons. Spring tends toward soft pastels, summer goes bold, fall brings warm oranges and deep purples. Let your colours evolve through the year, or keep everything coordinated — both are valid choices.

Fill the gaps

Most gardens have a lull at some point — often in early summer, after spring bloomers have faded but before summer is in full swing. Step through the season bar looking for those quiet moments, then filter the plant library by the bloom time you need.

Don't forget structure

Flowers are wonderful but they come and go. Your garden's evergreens and architectural plant forms are the steady friends that keep things looking intentional even when nothing's blooming.

Getting started

Pick a season you care about most — maybe you're obsessed with spring bulbs, or you want a knockout fall display — and design for that season first. Then walk through the season bar and add plants to support the other times of year.

Or start with structure: place your evergreens and major shrubs first, then layer in the seasonal stars. Both approaches work; pick the one that feels more natural to you.

Where to go next

• 3D Visualization — camera controls and how the season bar fits in
• Plant Library — bloom-time and foliage filters for seasonal planning
• Creating Your First Garden — putting it all together