FAQ: What is Garden Bloom?

[AARPTeri]

Garden Bloom is a Match 3 game where you match different color flowers. The better you do, the more opportunities you have to repair Lucy’s dilapidated garden in between levels!

What is the goal of the game?

The goal of the game is to complete each level by succeeding in the level’s goals. Each level has different goals – a score to reach, a certain number of flowers to clear – and you have a certain number of moves to complete them. The fewer moves you need to reach your goals, the more stars you get.

When do I beat a level?
You beat a level if you complete the goals – which are listed on the left-hand side of the screen – before you run out of moves.

What are stars for?

When you complete a level, you’ll get stars – more if you complete it quickly. In between each level, you can use those stars to help repair Lucy’s garden.

What happens if I run out of moves?

If you run out of moves, you lose one heart. You start the game with five hearts.

What happens if I run out of hearts?

If you run out of hearts, you will need to wait until the timer elapses and your hearts recharge.

How do I play?

Playing Garden Bloom is very similar to playing other Match 3 games. Click and drag or swipe two flowers to swap their places. If the swap leads to three flowers of the same color lining up, those flowers will clear and new ones will drop in to fill their spots.

How much time do I get per level?

There is no timer in Garden Bloom.

What special pieces can I get to remove more flowers –- and what do they do?

A key to success is finding the special pieces – all of which are garden critters – that allow you to move flowers faster. After all, the fewer moves you use to hit your goals, the more stars you get, and the faster you can fix up Lucy’s garden!

You can access these special critters:

• The Bee – Match 4 flowers instead of just 3 and a bee will appear. Match the bee with flowers of the same color to remove the entire line.
• The Ladybug – Match two lines of 3 flowers at once and a ladybug will appear. Match the ladybug with flowers of the same color and all the nearby flowers will be removed.
• The Butterfly – Match 5 flowers instead of 3 and a butterfly will appear. Match that with another flower and all those flowers on the board will be removed.

Also, try to find ways to match two of the bugs – you’ll get a big reaction!

What boosters can I use?

As you progress through the game, you will unlock special boosters and powerups that will help you clear the more difficult levels. The boosters are very helpful, as you can choose one before each round begins. Your options are the same as the special creatures that you’ll see while playing:

• The Bee, which removes an entire line.
• The Ladybug, which removes all flowers nearby.
• The Butterfly, which removes all flowers of one color when matched.

Choose one of these at the beginning of each level (when they become available), and several of the spaces on the board will be replaced with what you chose. This is a great way to get started and have a successful run!

Can I replay a level after beating it?

Yes. You can reselect a level after beating it. This is a good idea especially if you received less than three stars the last time you beat it – there’s always an opportunity to max out your stars!

What do I do in the garden?

In between levels, you can either play the next level or go back to Lucy’s garden. There, if you have enough stars, you can repair some of the broken fixtures in the garden, such as benches and decorations. On the bottom left of the screen you can click on your to-do list, where you can see what you need to fix – and how many more stars you need to fix it. You can move around the garden by clicking and dragging (or swiping). On the bottom right of the screen, you can click on the book with the number in it to select another level to play.

How many levels are there?

More than 2,000!

Is my progress saved?

Yes. As long as you play on the same device and inside the same browser, your progress will save in between sessions.

Can I turn off the sound and music in Cubis 2?

Yes. Click on the gear icon, and there you can toggle the music and sound on and off.

[MaryannT299355]

 I'm having the same problem, the game doesn't advance past 448, in fact it jumps back 4 levels. So annoying. I'm assuming whoever owns the game wants money to continue to play? I'm not seeing any more on this. 

[DonaldS182358]

Welcome twojets and others who have joined us huddled in the garden unable to escape the twilight zone of level 448. Many have told of their journeys past the frozen butterflies only to be propelled back here in the garden of broken trees. Some poor souls continue to forge out in the hope of victory while others have accepted their fate as victims of the great Arkadium Master who will keep us here forever.

[JulieL814759]

Donald S  That is a most hilarious description of the beach vortex!

But--I am here to tell you that I escaped and I'm not exactly sure which variable worked. I am currently on Level 807.  

I first took off my ad-block, and I think (it's hard to recall the exact sequence) but something (maybe that) then triggered me to go back to the very start of the game. Which was really annoying but the game worked smoother. And I worked my way up to where I am. But as I've said, I've been "snoozing" the notices for a Microsoft update. 

I think I once dared to do the update to my Chrome and it didn't send me backwards. But right now I have a "new Chrome available" notice and I've been ignoring it. 

I've left the game open on my top bar this whole time. I haven't turned it off. And I haven't turned off my computer.  

I'm not necessarily advising all of this, and I don't exactly know what is helping me continue. Which is why I'm afraid to rock the boat. Whenever I'm not playing, I make sure I don't leave the screen open to the game. 

If any of you make it out of the evil vortex there are very fun clever new things they throw at you. So I hope you make it out somehow. I'll let you know if I get to the end. (Is there an end?) It's very addictive. 

As I've written before I am in perpetual fear that I will open 

[DonaldS182358]

God speed on your journey, Julie. May you never return to join all the characters in search of an exit.

[JulieL814759]

LOL! and bless you Donald and all your fellows on the beach of broken trees and dreams. I hope somehow you make it off there at some point.

Arkadium, are you listening?!!!!

[JulieL814759]

I'm in perpetual fear that I'll open it up and I'll be back on the beach!

(I think this thing cut off my post!)

[Dianelankon]

I am experiencing this same issue.  Very frustrating when you think that you are moving forward in the game

[CapeCodNancy]

Same here

[JulieL814759]

Yes, to you and DedeBronx, it is soooo discouraging. We have all been experiencing issues with the game not saving. Some of us continue to be gluttons for punishment and still play. We have emailed Arkadium and reported it and they claim to be fixing it....

It's such a cute game and I keep holding out for them to fix it. At one point it wiped me out and I started completely over. One thing to try is taking off the adblock if you haven't already. 

[AbbieW954380]

Just a quick update that Arcadia IT still fails to do its job. Still no scores, still at game beginning instead of level 450, all the $ and boosters were taken and now, no boosters of any kind for any of the levels.  AARP should mulch garden bloom for the fertilizer it truly is lol. 

[sperryaz]

  I made it to level 500 one time before it bumped me back to - wait for it - level 1 !!! I've just worked my way back up to 448 and can't break the barrier. Tried closing out and logging back in, but it just keeps using up my lives. Pretty disappointed....

[Brecklyn]

AARP says there will be a new release in 2 - 3 weeks that should hopefully resolve the issues.

[DedeBronx64]

It's October 7th and I'm still on 448 

[JulieL814759]

Hi All  Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Been playing the game in intervals and it's going alright. I'm at Level 337 currently. Every day I get on my laptop and check and yup, it's still there! However haven't gotten to the twilight zone of 448 yet. And now I wonder, if they ACTUALLY have a new release, will it bump us all down again--??? Anyway glad to know I'm not the only one who has stayed with this despite all the aggravation.

[cc66274730]

I'm convinced there's NO FIX! I can't tell you how many times I've played and been taken back to 448.  SO ANNOYING

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 [9/26/25] @Brecklyn , did you call them?

---

@Brecklyn wrote:

AARP says there will be a new release in 2 - 3 weeks that should hopefully resolve the issues.

---

[Brecklyn]

yes

[alliecatvocate]

This afternoon I was on level 675 (maybe higher) on Garden Bloom. When I turned it on later this evening, it took me down to level 448! How do I get back to 675!!!?? 😞 

Please help!

[DonaldS182358]

Sorry, Allie but you have now entered the Twilight Zone of level 448. There is no way out. We all welcome you as we wait for the Arkadium mothership to lift us out of here

[SueK64405]

 The game is broken.  Supposedly being fixed, but it's been a while.

[WebWiseWoman]

Hi, Teri!

I'm posting to you as the information may be helpful to the AARP Administrators who select outside service providers; and I don't want any feedback or comments on this post.

I'm a paying subscriber to arkadium.com (3+ years)

This particular game's issues have been reported to arkadium multiple times by actual arkadium subscribers since it's launch last May (those reports/comments can be read here; scroll down to read the comments).

Please be aware everything on the arkadium site loads VEEERRRYYY slowly due to ads (even for we who subscribe), so please don't use the link provided until you have 3-4 minutes with nothing else to do on your computer...

My point is if arkadium won't fix issues for individuals paying money directly to them for their service, can individuals from AARP creating contacts with arkadium support actually expect resolution?

Teri, perhaps if AARP, the organization paying for access applied pressure, maybe we'd get actual resolution?

Thanks for reading.

[Player12345]

DONE WITH AARP.

Done With Wasting My Time.

To All Others ...Move On....

God Bless You

[JulieL814759]

For what it's worth, this is the latest message I got from Arkadium.

"We are experiencing issues right now with the progress saving. From what I know, it's not related to the way our users log out, but to in-game storage. Please log out using the method that is more convenient for you, and I will contact you once more as soon as this issue is fixed."

Thought I'd update you all with that. I'm at Level 234 but I haven't tried to log out of the game for fear of losing that. I guess I'll see what happens. I'm sorta hooked on it now because it's fun to build the garden. If I lose my progress again though I might throw in the towel. But for the time being I'm sticking with it and hoping they'll figure this out.l

[LindaWJoy]

Thanks for the update.  I got up to Level 903 before I had a computer problem and had to restart my computer.  Back to Level 448 we go.  I wrote to Arkadium but they more or less brushed me off.

[LindaS480437]

they keep pushing me back to 447  ugh

[LindaS480437]

I I was at 601 and it kicked me back to 447.  It has continued to do so about 5 times.

[JulieL814759]

I'm at level 629. Finally off the beach! But I've been snoozing all the updates and ignoring the "new chrome available". At some point an update will probably just happen and I'm anticipating being sent back to the beach or to the whole beginning of the game. But seeing how far I can get. 

[loveBflo49]

    Hi all,

    I received good news....or what I'm hoping is good news.  Arkadium says that it's been fixed  🙂 

 I haven't tried it yet, but will soon.  Here's what they sent me:   

"I am pleased to inform you that the issue you reported has been resolved. Please take a moment to check if everything is working as expected. If you need any further assistance or if you encounter any new issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We will be happy to help."

  Good luck everyone!

[AbbieW954380]

Still not fixed. So goodby GB

[AbbieW954380]

I received the same message and there was no return to level 459, where I was kicked off and currently at level 1 again, and no, the scoring for the daily, weekly etc still fails to work.