We are often asked about the difference between annuals and perennials, how they differ and how they are used in the landscape. It can be a bit confusing because both are colorful and come in all sizes and shapes. Here is how to tell the difference.
An annual is any herbaceous (non woody) plant that is not hardy in your area. It dies over the winter and needs to be replanted yearly or annually. For example, a Martha Washington geranium becomes shrub-like in California but only gets 18 inches high here, then dies with the first hard frost. Popular annuals include marigolds, petunias, alyssum, geraniums and zinnias. So why do people go through the trouble of replanting every year? To answer that, we should first learn what a perennial is.
A perennial is an herbaceous plant that comes back every year. Once planted, they grow through their first season, die back to the ground during the winter then reemerge in the spring for many years (sometimes decades) to come. Shasta daisies, peonies, salvia, delphinium, sedum and coral bells are just a few of hundreds of types of perennials. These plants sound wonderful, and they are, but there is a catch—most perennials only bloom for 6-8 weeks. Even those that re-bloom have a non-flowering period after they have had their first flush of blossoms.
So what is a color loving gardener to do? Enter the Mixed Border, which uses a combination of perennials and annuals for a succession of flowers from early spring through fall. By choosing perennials with varied heights, colors and bloom times and using them as the “backbone” or framework of your bed or border, you can then simply fill in the gaps with annuals which generally bloom continuously from planting time right up to the first frost. New varieties such as the plethora of hybrid premium petunias stay covered with flowers with no deadheading necessary. With annuals available in every color of the rainbow, the look of a border can be changed from year to year without the need for a major revamp.
Now that you know your perennials from your annuals, you can design a border that will dazzle with color and texture. If you would like some guidance, don’t hesitate to ask, we are here to help!
