Perennials and Annuals Serve Different Purposes in the Landscape

A blend of perennials and annuals fill many different needs in the garden. While perennials are the backbone of my garden it is the annuals that provide the wow factor. Both types of plants fill different needs in the garden and can be a beautiful asset to the landscape. Each type of plant has its own advantages and disadvantages and they can work beautifully together.

Perennials are plants that live longer than one year. However, don't be fooled into thinking they are carefree. Like any plant they require upkeep to remain vigorous.

Perennial plants are a bigger investment in the landscape. They are not only more permanent in the yard but also more expensive. Woody plants such as trees and shrubs along with many ornamental herbaceous plants are classified as perennial.

Good soil preparation is essential as their root system runs deeper than annuals. Perennial garden plants grow sturdier and more beautiful each year but will start to loose bloom and become overgrown if they aren't divided. Most perennials will need to be dug up and divided every three to four years. This is a good way to acquire new plants for your landscape but can also be quite labor intensive with large plants. Perennials will also need fertilized, dead foliage removed, mulched, and watered until established.

Besides the fact they don't need replanted each season there are many advantages to perennials. Variety is a factor in the popularity of perennials. There are unlimited choices in size, color, bloom time, habits, sun requirements and foliage. Perennials also provide year long interest to the yard.

Annuals complete their lifecycle in one season. They grow from seed, flower, produce seeds and die in a single season. Most garden vegetables and food crops are annual plants. They are easy to grow and inexpensive to try in the flower bed or garden. Most annuals can be grown easily from seed. Many varieties are readily available and relatively inexpensive at garden centers.

Annuals need plenty of fertilizer and generally more watering then perennials to support their fast life cycle and shallower root system. Many varieties require deadheading to keep producing new flowers.

Annuals provide the traffic stopping color to my yard. Annuals can easily fill in the bare spaces in the landscape where new perennials have not grown large enough to fill their spaces. A border of annuals adds season long color and interest to a perennial bed. I also like to grow annuals such as zinnias and cosmos for a non-stop supply of cut flowers.

Thanks to a blend of plants, my flower border puts on an ever changing show. It is constantly evolving throughout the growing season as plants come into bloom and then fade. Early spring false indigo, iris, ground phlox, and peonies give way to summer blooming Shasta daisies, garden phlox, daylilies and lavender. Later in the season, garden phlox, sedum and hollyhocks steal the show. Fall blooming mums and asters are the next to shine. Tall grasses at the back of the border keep the interest going well into winter when red twigged dogwood and the remaining red berries on the chokeberry bush finish the show. Arborvitaes and flowering shrubs add structure. During the summer growing season the bed is bordered by a row of annuals for added color and interest. Geraniums, petunias, and low growing Profusion zinnias provide continual bloom.