photos: Understanding Perennial and Annual Flower Plantings

What to know about Perennial Flowers –

Notes:

• Perennial flowers last two or more years in your garden. They will bloom, seed, and then lie dormant during the winter. Perennials will then come back year after year and repeat the blooming cycle until they reach maturity, which can vary by plant.
• The blooms on perennial plants do not last long – varying from 2-3 weeks. And perennials will bloom during different times of the growing season.
• For landscaping purposes, you need to understand the time of the blooming season. You may have a perennial garden with varying plants that bloom at different times to give you full color during the season.
• Or you may intermingle perennials and annuals to maximize full color.
• Note that some perennials bulbs may need to be dug up and stored during the winter – hard winter freezes can kill many perennial bulbs.
• What comments can you share?

• light requirements (sunny/part-sun)    –    height (low vs. high)    –    blooming time    –    maintenance (disease, insects, etc.)    –    propagation (division, seeding)    –    growing zones INFO: view growing zones

What to know about annual flowers –

Notes:

• Annual flowers only last one year.
• Annuals grow from seed, mature, bloom, produce seed and then die in one growing season – usually with the first frost or change of season.
• The key advantage of annuals is that they bloom for a long time – usually during the entire growing season.
• They make a great gardening landscape option to mix with perennials or other annuals to give you a beautiful landscape from spring until fall.
• Some annual seed droppings can come back as “volunteers” for the next growing season – but over time will fade in color and leaf growth.
• What comments can you share?

• light requirements (sunny/part-sun)    –    height (low vs. high)    –    blooming time    –    maintenance (disease, insects, etc.)    –    propagation (division, seeding)    –    growing zones INFO: view growing zones