A preliminary proposal for an original classification of garden plants based on the study of their phenological periodicity and their side-runs

A model group of garden plants (shrubs) was used to observe and evaluate phenological periodicity and new ways of its practical use in landscaping. The experiment focused on the aesthetically most impressive phenophases - full bloom and full coloration, and was conducted in three independent and separate localities over a period of 4 years. While observing and evaluating the selected group of plants, we also monitored and recorded concurrent attractive phenological events in other garden plants, seeking to verify the existence of certain "vegetation waves". The experiment demonstrated that in the research localities the course of phenological periodicity, including the course of individual side-runs, tends to be similar. Our preliminary results indicate that the "vegetation waves" indeed do exist. These findings suggest new solutions for the use of our selected plants, mainly for their theme combinations with wider groups of plants which tend to behave similarly in the same time points. As a result of our study, we propose 24 preliminary phenological groups of garden plants. Each of them characterizes a certain period of the calendar year which is considered aesthetically important by landscape architects. Plants were classified into these groups according to the preliminary mean onset time of the most attractive phenophases (full bloom and full coloration) in the most typical indicative species.