The appeal of a flower garden relies on the color, form and variety of the plants used. Gardening can then be compared to painting a picture. The gardener is the artist, the yard is the canvass and the plants and flowers are the paint. Among the ‘basic colors’ include annuals, perennials and biennials.
Annuals
Annual flower plants grow from seeds and bloom, and then die. A complete lifecycle for this type of plant is one year or less. They are the choice of first time gardeners because they are easier to plant and grow. Though they take a considerable amount of patience compared to perennials, they make for a very appealing garden because of their vibrant colors.
One of the key benefits of this type is the cheap cost and maintenance issues. Annuals need not be pruned and taken care of through the winter season, unlike the perennial. They also bloom longer than perennials, so most choose to plant this type. The only drawback in annuals is that they need to be replaced every year. Other enjoy this but to some it’s a tedious and repetitive process.
Popular choices for annuals include chrysanthemums, cosmos, dahlias, marigolds and sunflowers.
Perennials
Unlike annuals, perennials have a life cycle of more than two years. Some can even survive for 20 years, but this depends on the species of the plant. A shared trait with the annuals is that both go dormant on cold weathers. They (perennials) start to bloom again when the weather warms up.
The charm with perennials is that each month brings new blooms to enjoy. Another advantage is that they don’t have to be planted every year. Though they only flower a few weeks each year, there are ways to keep them in bloom most of the season. They are the backbone of any garden because they have staying power.
Popular choices for perennials are peonies, daylilies, hostas and coneflowers.
Biennials
Biennial flowers only grow for two years. They grow leaves on their first year then bloom and die in the second. Because of these characteristics, biennials are often sold as annuals, or short-lived perennials.
Biennials are easy to grow and are hardy. They will also often self-seed in the garden. They adapt to many different growing conditions and will definitely bloom longer than the average perennials.
The most popular choice for biennials are foxgloves and hollyhocks.
Choosing what to plant is an important part in flower gardening. This process is fun and exciting, yet a number of other things have to be considered as well. Matching one’s desire to garden with the right information will result to a flower garden one can be proud of.
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