One of the most beautiful things about locally grown flowers is that the fields are always changing.

Spring begins with flowering branches, delicate bulbs and cool-weather favourites. Summer brings an abundance of english garden roses, hydrangeas, and garden flowers. By early autumn, the field is filled with richly coloured dahlias, chrysanthemums, seedheads, berries, and grasses.

Josephine Flower Farm is located in Zone 7 in Niagara, Ontario. Our growing season typically begins in early spring (our last frost planning date is April 21) and continues until the first significant frost in autumn (our first frost planning date is Oct 25) - but nature ultimately sets the schedule.

Temperatures, rainfall, planting dates, insect pressure, varieties, and weekly harvests can move bloom times forward or backward by several weeks. This guide reflects what we would expect in a typical season, but it is not a guarantee that every flower will be available at a particular time.

That element of surprise is part of the joy of seasonal flowers: each visit, bouquet and gathering reflects a particular moment in the fields.

How We Describe Our Flowers

When planning our bouquets and arrangements, we think about the role each flower or stem will play.

Focal Flowers

Focal flowers are the largest or most visually prominent blooms. They naturally draw the eye and often establish the colour, shape and character of an arrangement.

Peonies, roses, dahlias, hydrangeas and ranunculus are familiar examples of focal flowers.

Filler and Accent Flowers

Filler and accent flowers are generally smaller, airier or more textural. They fill the spaces between focal flowers and add softness, movement, height and garden-inspired detail.

This category also includes line flowers, such as snapdragons and delphiniums, as well as delicate fillers, seedpods, berries and ornamental grasses.

Foliage and Textural Greens

Foliage creates the foundation of an arrangement. Leaves, branches, herbs and vines provide structure, volume, fragrance, contrast and texture.

At Josephine, foliage might include ninebark, smokebush, eucalyptus, scented geranium, herbs or trailing honeysuckle.

A Quick Look at the Growing Season

Month	Seasonal highlights
April	Hellebores, Narcissus (Daffodils), Tulips, Forsythia, Peach Blossom Branches
May	Anemones, Ranunculus, Lilacs, Poppies, Stock, Snapdragons, early Peonies
June	Peonies, Roses, Foxglove, Delphinium, Sweet William, Astilbe, Lavender, Flowering Shrubs
July	Roses, Lisianthus, Hydrangeas, Zinnias, Cosmos
August	Dahlias, Zinnias, Cosmos, Hydrangeas, Celosia, Amaranth, Sunflowers, Gladiolus, China Asters, abundant fillers
September	Dahlias, Sunflowers, Gladiolus, Hydrangeas, Chrysanthemums, Lisianthus, Strawflowers, Seedpods, Berries, Grasses
October	Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, Hydrangeas, Zinnias, Celosia, Amaranth, Berries, textural stems

Early Spring: March and April

The first flowers of the year feel especially precious. After the muted tones of winter, even the smallest bloom seems remarkable.

Lenten Roses (Helleborus) may begin flowering in March and continue into April. They are followed by Daffodils (Narcissus), Tulips and the first woody flowering branches.

Forsythia brings vivid yellow to the early spring palette. Peach blossom branches connect the flower farm beautifully with the neighbouring orchard and bring a delicate, fleeting softness to spring arrangements.

Honesty or Money Plant (Lunaria) and Columbine (Aquilegia) may also begin appearing as the season progresses.

Typical early-spring ingredients

• Focal flowers: Hellebores, daffodils, tulips, forsythia and peach blossom branches

• Filler and accents: Honesty and columbine

• Foliage and texture: Forsythia foliage, peach branches and other early woody stems

Late Spring: May and Early June

By May, the range of available flowers begins to expand quickly. This is the season of delicate, romantic flowers and many of our most anticipated spring favourites.

Anemones and Ranunculus provide layers of soft petals. Iceland Poppies and Oriental Poppies add movement and an almost translucent quality.

Lilacs fill the air with fragrance, while peonies begin their short but spectacular season in late May or early June.

Other focal and line flowers may include Stock, Snapdragons, Lupines, Sweet William (Dianthus), Canterbury Bells (Campanula), and Foxglove (Digitalis).

Late-spring filler flowers bring an informal garden quality to arrangements. Sweet Peas, Bachelor’s Buttons (Centaurea), Calendula, Corn Cockle (Agrostemma) and Godetia (Clarkia) are all well suited to this time of year.

We may also harvest Linaria, Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella), Baptisia, Bupleurum, Bells of Ireland, Mignonette, Flax, Sculpit (Silene), and Saponaria (or Soapwort). 

Foliage may include Lilac, Spirea, Deutzia, and early Honeysuckle vines (Lonicera).

Early Summer: June and Early July

June is a bridge between the fleeting flowers of spring and the abundance of high summer.

Peonies may continue into the early part of the month, while English Garden Roses begin flowering and often continue through autumn. Delphiniums, Foxglove, Snapdragons, and Canterbury Bells add graceful vertical lines.

Astilbe, Coreopsis (or Tickseed), Carnations, and other Dianthus broaden the palette.

This is also an important season for fragrant and airy supporting flowers like Larkspur, Ammi (or False Queen Anne’s Lace), Dara (or Queen Anne’s Lace), Feverfew, Yarrow (Achillea), Cynoglossum (or Chinese Forget-me-not), Cress flowers and seedheads, Pincushion (Scabiosa), Anise Hyssop (Agastache), Sea Holly (Eryngium), Bee Balm (Monarda), and Milkweed (Asclepias).

Mock Orange (Philadelphus) and Spirea may provide both flowers and foliage.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) generally begins blooming around the middle of June. Grosso Lavender or Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia ‘Grosso’) often follows, extending the lavender harvest into July.

Depending on its intended use, lavender may be harvested for fresh bundles, dried bundles or culinary buds at slightly different stages.

High Summer: July and August

By July, the flower field begins to show its full summer abundance.

Garden Roses continue flowering, while Lisianthus, Gladiolus, Sunflowers, and Hydrangeas become available.

Zinnias and Cosmos become dependable warm-weather flowers, producing more stems when harvested regularly. The first Dahlias generally begin in late July and build toward their late-summer peak. 

Other important summer focal flowers include, Phlox, Coneflower (Echinacea), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Celosia, China Asters, and Amaranth. 

Summer also brings a wonderful range of smaller flowers and textural ingredients including, Floss Flower (Ageratum), Marigolds, Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana), Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena), Statice, Verbena, Jewels of Opar, and Strawflower. 

Our summer foliage includes Ninebark (Physocarpus), Smokebush (Cotinus), Privet, Raspberry foliage, and Honeysuckle vines.

Fragrant and textural herbs become useful bouquet ingredients too! Mint, Oregano, Basil, Dill, and Scented Geranium (Pelargonium) all add an extra sensory layer.

Other warm-season foliage includes Honeywort (Cerinthe), Dusty Miller, Snow-on-the-Mountain (Euphorbia), Orach (Atriplex), Sweet Annie (Artemisia), and Eucalyptus.

Late Summer and Autumn: September Through Frost

September is one of the most abundant and richly textured times on the farm.

Dahlias reach their peak, with extraordinary variation in colour, form and size. Zinnias, Cosmos, Hydrangeas, Garden Roses, Lisianthus, Celosia, China Asters and Amaranth often continue producing.

Chrysanthemums bring the season into autumn, while Strawflowers, Sedum (or Stonecrop), Ornamental Grasses, and Seedheads add texture.

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella) pods and Breadseed Poppy pods can be nearly as beautiful as the flowers that came before them.

Woody plants also begin offering more distinctly autumnal material - Beautyberry (Callicarpa), Snowberry and Coralberry (Symphoricarpos), Ninebark, Smokebush, Hydrangea foliage and ageing blooms, and Ornamental Grasses and Seedheads.

The outdoor flower season usually continues until frost. Most years, we are still cutting Dahlias and Zinnias well into October. That uncertainty is a reminder that locally grown flowers are not manufactured on a fixed schedule. They belong to a particular place, season and moment.

Planning with Seasonal Flowers

If you are planning a wedding, event or special order, we recommend beginning with an overall colour palette, mood and style rather than building your plans around one exact flower.

When a requested variety is not blooming, we can often suggest another locally grown flower with a similar colour, shape or feeling. This approach gives us the flexibility to select the most beautiful stems available in the field that week.

The same is true when you visit the farm or reserve a U-Pick experience. Each week offers something different. You may arrive during the fleeting peony season, at the height of the summer zinnias or when the dahlias and hydrangeas are glowing in September.

Come and See What’s Blooming

Our seasonal flower guide provides a helpful overview, but the best way to experience the farm is to see what is blooming in the moment.

Follow Josephine Flower Farm on Instagram for current field updates, harvest photographs and seasonal availability. You can also explore our upcoming events, reserve a U-Pick experience or shop our freshly harvested bouquets.

We look forward to sharing the season with you - one beautiful bloom at a time.

 

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