Annuals Vs. Perennials

Do you have to replant your garden beds every year because you keep planting annual beds? Or do you lack color and interest because you only plant short blooming period perennials? Some helpful tips to help your garden be the one that stands out in the neighborhood.

When I first showed a serious interest in gardening, I did not know the difference between an annual plant and a perennial plant, therefore I will define the two clarifying any possible misconceptions. An annual is an herbaceous plant that completes its full life cycle within one growing season. An annual seed germinates; the plant grows to full maturity, blooms, sets seed and dies all in one growing season. Some annuals self sow their seeds once mature and the seeds will lay dormant until the right conditions are present. Usually the onset of spring with warmer soil temperatures will enable the seed to germinate, starting the life cycle over again in the next growing season. A perennial is an herbaceous plant that lives for more than two years. Even though woody plants such as trees and shrubs are also perennial in their habit, when used in the context of a noun perennial refers to herbaceous plants. Perennials return year after year (if you choose plants hardy to or below your hardiness zone) growing back from their dormant rootstock each spring. Perennials grow structures that allow them to adapt to living from one year to the next. These include fibrous or tap root stock, bulbs, tubers, woody crowns and rhizomes plus others. Most perennials are polycarpic, flowering over many seasons in their lifetime. Perennials that flower and fruit only once and then die are monocarpic, for example some bamboos can take over 100 years to bloom and then die.

Annual and perennials both have very important roles in any well planned garden. Perennials should prove to be quite loyal with their nature of returning year after year. With careful choice of plant material that is specific to your plant hardiness zone (climatically adapted to the geographical area in which they are to be planted), situating each with their own individual growth requirements taken into consideration, you can have perennials blooming throughout the growing season. Planting perennials will save you the labor of having to replant a significant area of your property and the cost of purchasing annuals year after year. Perennials may seem a little costly in comparison to annuals, and like any good investment they will continue to reward you for many years to come. You can always sow some seeds if you want an abundance of plants at a fraction of the cost, little plantlets can be started either indoors under florescent lights, directly outdoors in pots or directly in the garden bed.