Spring

Spring won't have really flashy colors. Instead, plant a border of different bulbs combined with some perennials. Your earliest flowers of the year will be bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and crocuses. Make sure that you plant these the fall before so that they will bloom in the spring.

Some perennials that you can plant that will bloom in the spring are irises. Irises will spread themselves, so after a few years, you can have a huge patch of irises in all different colors. Irises can even grow to four feet high. Also think about including poppies and lupines.

Don't forget different plants for the spring that can provide a nice green backdrop for your flowers. Hosta is the perfect leafy plant, because it grows in all different shades of green. Hosta also will spread, so make sure that you keep an eye on it if you don't want it to run all over your plot of land.

Summer

While you're planting all of your favorite colorful annuals, don't forget to include nice leafy shrubs that can provide a beautiful green backdrop. These will provide a solid, stable color for your blooming flowers to show up against.

Your mid summer border can include lots and lots of perennials that love the sun. Think about wildflowers. You can also include roses, English roses, and more flowers that are able to tolerate the heat.

In the late summer, flowers that will bloom are the ones that are more yellow and brown, as opposed to the flashy reds of the earlier and middle summer. This makes black-eyed Susans perfect for this time of year. Plus, before they flower, their dark green leaves and stems will be a great color to serve as a backdrop for your other flowers.

Fall

In the fall, think about the beauty of your leaves and the bark of your trees. This is the season when your evergreens will start to play a major role in your décor. Also think about including trees that have particularly colorful leaves, such as maples. Here are some more plants that are perfect for fall, especially if you don't live in New England and don't have the luxury of those Vermont maples.

Fall plants that work well in warm climates:

• Japanese Maple


• Boston Ivy


• Chinese Pistachio


• Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)


• Eastern Redbud


• American Sweetgum

• Dwarf Burning Bush


• Virginia Creeper


• Sugar Maple


• Northern Red Oak


• European White Birch


• Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea

Winter

Winter yards are full of beautiful berries, like holly, winterberry, ciborium, and pyracantha. These plants will give you colorful berries through the barren winter months. Also consider birch and ironwood, along with red twig dogwood, because their bark will provide more color to your garden. Here are some more plants that will be perfect in your winter garden:

Colorful plants for winter:

• Red Twig Dogwood


• Groundcover Cotoneaster


• Yellow Twig Dogwood


• Coral Beauty Cotoneaster


• Cranberry Cotoneaster


• Monrovia Pyracantha


• Red Elf Pyracantha


• Yukon Bell Pyracantha


• Holly (English, Japanese, and Chinese)