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.

[JulieL814759]

Amazeballs!!! I x'd out and came back later and my progress is STILL THERE!!!

At first it wasn't loading so I x'd out and tried again and there it all is just as I left it. I'm so relieved and happy!

[butterflyjam213]

Does anyone know how to watch the movies that you can earn extra stuff where you can get daily coins

[JulieL814759]

If you mean watching the ads, make sure you have the adblock turned off. I never got the ads until I did that. But to be honest I got so used to playing without buying any extras that I haven't tried since then. So maybe I will try again. But in the meantime maybe someone else knows more about them. 

[loveBflo49]

  EUREKA!!!  I played to level 456, "x'd" out, went back in, and I'm on level 456!!  So glad it's finally fixed.  I hope it's the same for everyone.  Good luck! 

[JulieL814759]

Eureka indeed! I haven't been brave enough to x out yet, but you're giving me courage.

And I have to say it is playing smoothly now. 

[terilew1956]

Dam,  will they ever fix this game!  I got excited today, of course it started at level 448. I was super excited I made it to level

492, woohoo, got to the 3rd tree then took a break . That was a mistake restarted level 448. How are supposed to get any assistance with this ?

[LindaS480437]

 I was just asking the same thing.

[Winter2025VA]

[10/17/25] Hi Linda @LindaS480437 , see AARP Teri's @AARPTeri post below. It has been fixed.

AARPTeri Community Manager.
‎10-16-2025 10:16 AM.
@JulieL814759 @MaryannT299355 @DonaldS182358 @Dianelankon.

Good news an update was pushed out today so you should be able to move beyond that level! Let us know if you are unable to do so!

AARPTeri.

Take care,

Nicole. 💛

➡️[*** LINDA 

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@LindaS480437 wrote:

 I was just asking the same thing.

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[sperryaz]

I can't get past 449 still! Stalled out there. Tried x'ing out of the window and going back in, but that didn't work.... 🙄

[Winter2025VA]

[10/19/25]

@sperryaz , AARP Teri @AARPTeri had posted asking us to let them (her team - @AARPConsumerCare ) know IF we "still" had issues. They are OPEN weekdays 8am ET to 8pm ET. You can call or PM (private message them).

➡️[*** AARPTeri Community Manager
‎10-16-2025 10:16 AM
@JulieL814759 @MaryannT299355 @DonaldS182358 @Dianelankon

Good news an update was pushed out today so you should be able to move beyond that level! Let us know if you are unable to do so!

AARPTeri.

Good Luck,

Nicole!

➡️[*** 

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@sperryaz wrote:

I can't get past 449 still! Stalled out there. Tried x'ing out of the window and going back in, but that didn't work.... 🙄

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[AARPTeri]

@JulieL814759 @MaryannT299355 @DonaldS182358 @Dianelankon 

Good  news an update was pushed out today so you should be able to move beyond that level!  Let us know if you are unable to do so!

[sperryaz]

Hi,, I still can't break the 448 -> 449 barrrier! Any ideas?

[JulieL814759]

So do you mean that the game doesn't save your progress when you leave the site, landing you repeatedly on Level 448?

First question is if you've removed your ad block for the game. Other people were saying to do this but I was reluctant till I found out you can just remove it for one site, not for everything. It helped when I did that. 

If that's not the issue then you might want to contact Arkadium as they might have ideas. They do respond pretty promptly to emails.

And sorry to say but it might be necessary to start all over...it's hard to remember because it's been such an ordeal and we were all dealing with this, but at some point I got totally kicked back to the beginning. 

Maybe others have other thoughts... 

[sperryaz]

I have left the site, no problem, come back to 448. I complete 448, then click on 449. it starts to load, and then takes me to "sorry you couldn't complete this level, Try Again?" and just eats up lives and boosts.

[sperryaz]

Ha!! Well I went to the game after writing my last note, and tried AGAIN! -- and I am now past 448 -- yay!! Now at 451. I had made it to 550 once before, so we'll see how long this lasts....

[JulieL814759]

Fingers crossed for you! Good luck!

[JulieL814759]

This will be wonderful if it really truly is fixed!

Here's my update: I made it to the heady echelons of the 900 Levels before a Chrome update sent me back to 448 on the beach!!! I flew too close to the sun...After that I found out that Garden Bloom is available on the Washington Post website under "more game" so I started COMPLETELY over (once again...) and I'm on level 226. But, I discovered that WaPo's site does save the game though it's glitchy in some other ways. So I resolved to stay there. But now I'm going to try AARP again, since the beach is farther than I was at WaPo's game. So here I am again and we'll see how this goes!

[RickC114538]

I do believe they HAVE fixed the issue. As of yesterday I am at level 480 with no issues. I have shut down a few times also and everything saves. I would definitely suggest shutting down any adblocker. 

[AARPTeri]

Yes it was fixed!  Sorry I failed to tag you earlier when announcing the fix.

[Winter2025VA]

[10/16/25 2:16pm ET]

@AARPTeri , thanks for getting this fixed!!! Nicole. 💛

➡️[*** AARP TERI 

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@AARPTeri wrote:

Yes it was fixed!  Sorry I failed to tag you earlier when announcing the fix.

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[twojets]

I made it to level 449. When I open the game it keeps taking me back to level 445. This is with garden bloom

[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.