Garden Design 101 Series: Seasonality

‍This is part two of our Garden Design 101 Series, designed to help Northwest Arkansas gardeners plan with intention and build their best gardens yet.

Spring is what gets us outside. It’s colorful, hopeful, and full of promise. (And when we buy the most plants.) But if a garden is designed only for spring, it rarely holds together for long—especially here in Northwest Arkansas, where we certainly have 4 seasons.

Seasonality is about planning for bloom and structure across the entire growing season. It’s not about having something flashy all the time. It’s about having the right plants carry the garden at the right moments.

Below is how we think about seasonality—and some of our favorite, proven plants to do the job.

Start with the Backbone (All Seasons)

Before we talk bloom, let’s talk structure. These are the plants that make a garden feel full even when nothing is flowering.

In sun, ornamental grasses and shrubs do a lot of heavy lifting. Switchgrass, little bluestem, and feather reed grass give height, movement, and winter presence. Shrubs like boxwood, inkberry holly, and spirea provide reliable form and help beds feel grounded year-round.

In shade, structure often comes from foliage rather than flowers. Hydrangeas (especially oakleaf), evergreen hollies, and shade-tolerant grasses like sedge create a framework that carries the garden through quiet seasons.

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Sun

• 'Hameln' dwarf fountain grass: Distinct plume heads in Fall, maintains through winter, green foliage in spring.
  
  
• Pink Muhly Grass: Cloud-like pink plumes in late summer / Fall, fades to brown but holds plumes for winter interest, green spikes grow in spring.
  
  
• Little bluestem: Blue-green foliage in summer; rich copper, red, and bronze tones in fall; fine texture and upright form persist through winter.
  
  
• Boxwood: Evergreen structure year-round; provides visual weight when perennials come and go.
• Junipers: 

Saybrook Gold Juniper (Photo from PlantFinder)

Shade / Part Shade

• Oakleaf Hydrangea: Large, architectural leaves in summer; large cone-shaped blooms in late spring to early summer; deep red fall color and peeling bark for winter interest.
  
  
• Sedge (Carex): Fine-textured foliage emerges early in spring; consistent color through summer; many varieties remain semi-evergreen in winter.
  
  
• Evergreen Hollies: Glossy foliage year-round; some have berries add seasonal color and winter structure.
  
  
• Hellebores: One of our staff favorites, this evergreen perennial holds it’s foliage through all seasons and is the first to bloom in late winter (yep, you read that right.)

Helleri Japanese Holly (Photo from PlantFinder)

Choose a few of these to place in your garden. Most of these are mid-sized or tall, so be sure to plant these toward the back of your garden (more on depth planting in our first article). Once the backbone is in place, everything else becomes easier to fill in from there.

Spring: Fresh Growth & Early Interest

Spring is such an exciting time in the garden. With the first blooms peeking out, having some early bloomers throughout your garden is super satisfying.  

In sun, dianthus, creeping phlox, and early-blooming salvia bring color without taking over. Peonies and catmint add presence early and transition beautifully into summer.

You can get some color in shade, too. Hellebores lead the way with late-winter to early-spring blooms. Heuchera adds rich foliage color right out of the gate, and dicentra puts out their unique heart-shaped blooms.

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Sun

• Dianthus: Early spring blooms with soft fragrance; tidy blue-green foliage remains attractive after flowering.
  
  
• Creeping Phlox: Dense mats of foliage covered in spring flowers; transitions into a low, green groundcover for summer.
  
  
• Salvia (early-blooming): Upright flower spikes in mid to late spring; strong structure carries into summer.
  
  
• Peonies: Glossy foliage emerges early; dramatic spring blooms; foliage remains full and supportive through summer.
  
  
• Catmint: Soft gray-green foliage in early spring; lavender-blue flowers begin in spring and often rebloom.

Creeping Phlox

Shade / Part Shade

• Hellebores: Late winter to early spring blooms; evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage provides structure all year.
  
  
• Heuchera (Coral Bells): Colorful foliage from early spring through fall; delicate flower spikes add light spring interest.
  
  
• Ferns: Fresh, unfurling fronds in spring; lush texture carries through summer.
  
  
• Brunnera: Silver-patterned foliage emerges in spring; small blue flowers provide early seasonal color.
  
  
• Dicentra (Bleeding Heart): Graceful arching stems with heart-shaped spring blooms; fades quietly by early summer as other shade plants fill in.
  
  
• Columbine (Aquilegia): Airy spring flowers that float above soft foliage; often reseeds lightly.

Brunnera (Photo from PlantFinder)

Summer: The Long Haul

Summer is where gardens are tested in NWA. Heat, humidity, and pop-up storms mean plants need to earn their place.

In sun, we rely on tough, reliable perennials that don’t melt by July. Coneflower, black-eyed Susan, yarrow, and ornamental grasses hold strong through heat and still look good doing it. This is also where repetition matters—mass these plants and let them carry the bed.

In shade, summer interest comes more from texture and foliage than constant bloom. Hostas, ferns, and astilbe provide fullness and calm when sun gardens are at their loudest. Hydrangeas can provide bloom and color here. 

Sun

• Coneflower: Bold summer blooms; sturdy seed heads add texture into fall and winter.
  
  
• Black-Eyed Susan: Bright summer flowers that hold through heat; strong mid-season color presence.
  
  
• Yarrow: Flat-topped blooms in early to mid-summer; fine foliage stays tidy after flowering.
  
  
• Coreopsis: Light, airy blooms through summer; keeps beds feeling bright without heaviness.
  
  
• Ornamental Grasses: Fill out and add movement in summer; begin setting up fall interest.
  
  

Sombrero® Adobe Orange Coneflower (Photo from PlantFinder)

Shade / Part Shade

• Hostas: Bold foliage peaks in summer; flowers add soft vertical interest.
  
  
• Astilbe: Feathery blooms in early summer; foliage provides texture long after flowering.
  
  
• Hydrangeas: Large summer blooms provide mass and visual anchor in shade gardens.
  
  

Peach Blossom Astilbe (Photo from PlantFinder)

Fall: Quiet Color & Lasting Structure

Fall is where good planning really shows. Fall doesn’t need to be bright to be beautiful. Texture, form, and softness are what you should try to achieve in your plantings for this season.

In sun, grasses take center stage. Switchgrass, little bluestem, and muhly grass add movement and warm tones that glow in lower light. Sedum and asters bring late-season blooms.

In shade, fall interest is subtler but no less important. Oakleaf hydrangeas offer beautiful foliage color, while ferns and evergreen groundcovers maintain structure as other plants fade.

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Sun

• Pink Muhly Grass: Cloud-like pink plumes in late summer and fall; fades to tan but holds structure through winter.
  
  
• Maiden Grass: Warm gold and amber tones in fall; seed heads and upright form persist into winter.
  
  
• Little Bluestem: Copper and red fall color; strong vertical presence through winter.
  
  
• Sedum: Fleshy foliage all season; late summer to fall blooms; dried flower heads add winter texture.
  
  
• Asters: Late-season blooms provide color and pollinator support when most gardens slow down.

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Adagio Maiden Grass (Photo from PlantFinder)

Shade / Part Shade

• Oakleaf Hydrangea: Deep burgundy fall foliage; dried blooms and bark texture extend interest into winter.
  
  
• Ferns: Soft texture remains into fall; helps shade beds feel full as other plants fade.
  
  
• Evergreen Groundcovers (Hellebores, Sedge): Maintain green presence through fall and winter.
  
  

Burgundy Lace Painted Fern (Photo from PlantFinder)

Seasonal Rotation: Let Plants Take Turns

The same garden can (and should) look totally different through the year. A well-designed garden doesn’t have every plant shining at once. Instead, it allows different plants to step forward as the seasons change.

Spring bloomers fade just as summer plants fill in. Summer perennials quiet down as grasses and fall texture take over. And when winter arrives, the backbone remains—proof the garden was designed with intention.

If every plant is trying to be the star, the garden feels exhausting. Rotation creates rhythm.

A Note on Annuals

Annual plants are where you can lean into big, expressive seasonal color, especially through spring and summer. They fill gaps while perennials are establishing, brighten containers and bed edges, and give you the freedom to play with color without long-term commitment.

In spring, annuals can provide instant impact while the rest of the garden wakes up. In summer, they extend color through the heat when some perennials slow down. And when fall arrives, it’s okay to let them fade (with the exception of a few cool season annuals like pansies). By then, your backbone plants should already be doing the work.

Sunpatiens

How To Plan? Go to the Garden Center Year-Round!

Okay, maybe this seems biased, but it’s true! The best way to fill in your garden with seasonal plants is to visit the garden center multiple times each season. What we have out in early Spring is different from what we’ll have in late summer. 

If you find you are missing a particular season, make an intentional effort to stop by your local garden center during that time. You’ll see inspiration out on display.

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The Big Takeaway

Seasonality isn’t about constant bloom. It’s about designing a garden that feels complete even when it’s quiet.

Backbone plants create stability. Perennials add personality. Seasonal rotation keeps the garden moving forward instead of burning out early.

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