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Annuals or Perennials that's the question
Do I Need Annual or Perennial Plants?
The crocus delights us in early spring as it dares to peek
through the snow and lift its face to the sun. Soon after
follow tulips, narcissus, iris, lilacs... all perennials that
welcome spring with vibrant color and fragrance. Perennial
plants bloom at different times during the growing season and
delight you with variety in color and size from earliest spring
to late autumn. However, many perennials like those mentioned,
bloom only for a few short weeks and then disappear from the
landscape until the following year.
Annual plants provide a garden with continuous bloom and
color throughout the summer. The "mission" of an annual is to
produce seed. Seeds sprout, foliage grows, flowers bloom and
then the plant goes to seed. When the annual completes its
mission, the entire plant— flower, foliage, and root system
—dies.
Some annuals have a very short life span and depending upon when
they are planted, may reseed and go through two or more growing
cycles per season. Other annual plants grow continuously from
spring planting until the first frost of autumn.
Since annual plants die completely at season end, they need to
be replaced yearly. Depending on the cultivar, annual seeds can
be planted directly into a garden or sprouted indoors for
transplanting when weather conditions and soil temperatures are
right for growth.
Annual transplants are also available each spring at gardening
centers and many are sold in inexpensive flats that contain four
or more plants. Annual plants can often be closely grouped to
fill in barren areas of your landscape whereas perennials often
need space to multiply and/or to grow to maturity.
Although some perennial plants are more expensive to purchase
than annuals, in the long run you may find them less expensive
since they last for longer than a single growing season. You can
also purchase groups of assorted perennial bulbs in very
inexpensive packs.
Perennial foliage and flowers also die at the end of a growing
season, but contrary to annuals, the root systems of perennial
plants live over winter and resprout with new growth each
spring.
Another advantage of perennial plants is that although flowers
and foliage die back, the branches of perennial shrubs offer
some visual appeal to a winter landscape.
Perennial plants may take more than one season to reach full
maturity. Because perennials propagate from root structures,
many types of perennials also need to be divided after three or
four seasons to reduce crowding and maintain their vigor.
Although all perennial plants are able to resprout for multiple
seasons, perennials are divided into to categories of hardy
perennials or tender perennials according to the temperature
zone in which they are grown.
Hardy perennials are those that can be left in the ground to
return the following season. Except for occasional division
and/or pruning, hardy perennial plants need little care once
established.
Bulbs like tulips and daffodils are among the easiest plants to
grow and excellent choices for a beginning gardener. Tender
perennials need your help to survive the winter. Some can over
winter when covered with a layer of mulch or otherwise protected
from the elements with gardening appurtenances such as rose
cones. Some tender perennials need to be lifted and stored
indoors over winter.
So the question remains, do you need annual plants or
perennials? Each type of plant is ripe with "pros" and short on
"cons" if you love flowers. The best solution is to experiment
by planting some of each to get a summer full of color, variety,
and pure gardening enjoyment!
About the Author
Hans is leading author of Gardening Guides.com
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