What is the difference between biennial and perennial plants

Look for annuals near the beginning of the frost-free planting season. Some examples of annuals are marigolds, larkspur, nasturtium, cosmos, strawflowers, and zinnias. They will come back year after year from their own overwintering roots even though their foliage may die to the ground after frost. Perennials are sold throughout and often beyond the growing season. Examples include purple coneflowers, coreopsis, Black-eyed Susans, sedum, daylilies, asters, astilbe, phlox and goldenrod.

Examples include hellebores, yucca, candytuft, lavender, English ivy, pachysandra and some coral bells. This third, lesser-known category is for plants that have a two-year life cycle. Because these plants do not bloom in their first year, patience is essential to enjoy their beauty in their second year. Planting biennials in two successive years can ensure the plants enhance the landscape in multiple years. Once you understand plant lifespans, you can more easily choose the plants that will give you a landscape you love.

When choosing plants, larger perennials can create a stunning foundation or border for your yard, including showstopping specimen plants and shade trees. Smaller perennials can fill in larger spaces in flowerbeds and edging, while annuals add brilliant color to pathways, edges, and very visible spaces, including porch pots and containers. Biennials can be spectacular transition plants, particularly if you may plan on expanding your landscaping beds in the future, or want to fill in a space temporarily before adding a new deck, porch, or otherwise expanding your home or outdoor living space.

Biennials are also great choices if you want to enjoy a changing landscape without as much work each year, because you can enjoy the plants for two years before they need replacing.

Many biennials are self-seeding making them great additions to the cottage garden. Ultimately, a landscape that includes a thoughtful mix of annuals, perennials, and biennials will showcase different colors, textures, and growth patterns for stunning visual interest.

New cultivars are developed every year, and greenhouses often have the latest plants and newest showstoppers on display. If you plan a mixed landscape, you will have the freedom to enjoy new plants as they are introduced and you will always have new plants to be excited about. While the differences between annuals, perennials, and biennials may seem clear, different plants can have different lifespans based on the exact cultivar, gardening zone, climate variations, and even microclimates within an individual landscape.

Furthermore, the care plants receive can ensure they reach their maximum potential for the longest, most productive life. To provide each type of plant the best care, consider…. Once annuals start to flower, they generally do so for an extended period, only stopping when killed by the onset of cold weather in the fall.

Biennials are planted one year, grow through the year, overwinter as a plant, then grow on and flower during year two. When flowering is finished, the plants will produce seed before dying.

It is advisable to initially plant biennials for two years in a row to enjoy continued flowering year-to-year. Perennials are hardy enough to survive our winters conditions and come back from the same root every year.