Annual vs. Perennial: What’s the Difference Between
These Plants?

 Learn the characteristics of annuals and perennials so you can grow a beautiful and affordable garden. 

 
Probably, you have heard about plants that are described as annuals and perennials in agriculture. Knowing the difference bet,9ween annuals and perennials will help you understand how each type will work in your garden. In particular, you will understand the flowering time and whether the plant will survive the winter. 

When deciding between annual and annual. Perennials both offer advantages and disadvantages that you should keep in mind. (There are also biennials in the mix.) Then you can again easily organize this wear, producing a garden that will look beautiful from spring to fall, while you make more of your garden budget.

What is an annual

All plants have a life cycle from when the seeds grow until the plant dies. When a plant is defined as an annual plant, it grows from seeds, flowers, produces many fruits and dies within a year. You can save seeds to replant. The young plants may not look like the parent plants, but that’s part of the fun.

Annual vs. Perennials are relatively inexpensive. They give you a lot of flower power for your money, and many grow almost always in winter. Most of them are sterile, self-pollinating plants, which means they shed their flowers themselves as soon as they bloom. Other annuals should be deadheaded to encourage flowering. When the annuals die, you simply lift them up into their compost.

What is a perennial plant? 

Perennials live for more than one growing season. Unlike annuals, perennials go dormant during the winter and come back the following year. Some perennials, like peonies, can be tall and come back for decades. Different perennials bloom at other times of the year, so you can get flowers in spring, summer, fall, or even winter. However, you will not have flowers for the entire growing season. Perennials don’t always bloom like annuals.

 Perennial roots can survive the winter when they are hardy. However, depending on where you live, you may need to mulch or protect them from the cold. Some perennials may need to be dug up and stored. For example, Dahlias are considered perennials and can be kept indoors in areas with mild winters. And in areas that are cold in winter, the tubers will be raised and stored where the temperature remains above the freezer.

Popular perennials include phlox, poppies, daylilies, Shasta daisies and coneflowers, but not all are flowering plants. These can be vegetables and herbs such as asparagus, rhubarb, mint, parsley and sweet potatoes. Apples, figs and blackberries are some fruits that live. Plants and trees are perennial plants, unlike perennial herbaceous plants that have green, changing stems and few or no plant parts.

What is a biennial?

 Biennials complete their life cycle in just two years. They produce green leaves in the first year and wait to flower until the second year. After that, the first plant dies. Biennials include foxgloves, hollyhocks, pansies, sweet William Dianthus, and forget-me-nots. Like annuals, some biennials are self-fertile, so it may seem like they come back every year.

What should I grow: annual or perennial

Annuals are the first choice when you’re looking for instant gratification. They grow quickly from seeds or transplants to fill containers or colorful flower beds. However, you will need to replace them every year. 

Perennials generally cost more annually. But perennials always come back year after year, repaying their initial costs over a long period of time. These plants are usually hardy or grow quickly from seed, so many gardeners buy them as small plants or get them from friends or neighbors and -distribute their plants. After your perennials have matured in a year or two, you can divide them to fill out your garden without spending too much money.

 Mix annuals and perennials into your flower beds, borders and containers for a beautiful garden that will be beautiful throughout the growing season. Read plant labels to find out when your perennials are blooming so you can plant them for bloom. Also think about where you put your perennials, because they will not be picked up and lost every year like annuals. 

Annuals will bloom almost always and perennials will go in and out of flower so you can plant them for a continuous display of colors, shapes and textures. If your perennials have finished flowering, or even before they start, plant annuals around them to fill in the gaps. Just make sure you combine the wood with the same light and water needs. Intolerant annuals, for example, won’t last long next to sun-lovers like coneflowers.