Extending the Bloom Season

The shoulders of the season are where most gardens fall short. Spring and fall are exactly when pollinators are most vulnerable — queen bumblebees emerging from hibernation with nothing stored, and late-season workers and migrating Monarchs trying to build reserves before frost. Filling those gaps is usually a better use of space than adding another midsummer bloomer to a bed that is already full of them. The two lists below cover both ends: species that flower before most gardens have woken up, and those still going when the rest has finished.