Which plants come back every year annuals or perennials

In gardening, you've probably heard plants described as annuals and perennials a lot. That's because knowing the difference between annual and perennial plants will help you understand how each type will behave in your garden. Specifically, you'll have a big clue about blooming times and if the plant will survive through winter. When deciding between annual vs. perennial plants, both offer pros and cons you'll want to keep in mind. (There are also biennial plants in the mix.) Then, you can more easily plan a colorful, productive garden that will look gorgeous from spring to fall, all while making the most of your gardening budget.

What is an annual?

All plants have a life cycle, spanning from when a seed sprouts to when the plant dies. When a plant is described as an annual, that means that it grows from seed, flowers, makes more seeds, and dies all within a single year. You can save seeds to replant later. The baby plants may not look exactly like the parent plant, but that's part of the fun.

Annuals are relatively inexpensive, compared to perennials. They give you a lot of flower power for your money and many bloom almost constantly until winter. Most are low-maintenance, self-cleaning plants, which means they drop their flowers naturally when the blooms finish. Other annuals need to be deadheaded to encourage the blooms to keep coming. When annuals die, all you need to do is pull them up and compost them.

What is a perennial plant?

Perennials live for more than one growing season. Unlike annuals, perennial plants go dormant in the winter and return the following year. Some perennial plants, like peonies, can be very long-lived, coming back for decades. Different perennial plants bloom at different times of the year, so you might get flowers in the spring, summer, fall, or even the winter in some cases. However, you usually won't have flowers throughout the entire growing season. Perennials don't rebloom as often as annuals, either.

Perennial roots can survive the winter where they are hardy. Depending on where you live, you may need to mulch or otherwise protect them from freezing weather. Some perennials may need to be dug up and stored. Dahlias, for example, are considered perennials and can remain in the ground in regions with warm, mild winters. But in cold winter areas, the tubers should be lifted and stored where the temperature stays above freezing.

Popular perennials include phlox, poppies, daylilies, Shasta daisies, and coneflowers, but not all perennials are flowering plants. They can be vegetables and herbs like asparagus, rhubarb, mint, parsley, and sweet potatoes. Apples, figs, and blackberries are a few perennial fruits. Trees and shrubs are woody perennials, as opposed to herbaceous perennials, which have green, flexible stems and few or no woody parts.

What is a biennial?

Biennials finish their life cycle in just two years. They produce foliage the first year, waiting to bloom until the second year. After that, the original plant dies. Foxgloves, hollyhocks, pansies, sweet William Dianthus, and forget-me-not are biennials. Like annuals, some biennials self-sow, so it can seem like they keep returning year after year.

What should I grow: annuals vs. perennials

Annuals are the top choice when you're looking for instant gratification. They grow quickly from seed or transplants to fill up containers or beds with color. However, you'll need to replace them every year.

Perennials usually cost more up-front than annuals. But, perennials come back reliably each year, so they make up for their initial cost in the long run. These plants are often tricky or slow to grow from seeds, so most gardeners buy them as small plants or get them from a friend or neighbor who's dividing their plants. When your perennial plants mature in a year or two, you also can divide them to fill your garden without spending more money.

For a gorgeous garden that will look colorful throughout the growing season, mix annuals and perennials in your beds, borders, and containers. Read plant tags and labels to know when your perennials flower, so you can plant them for staggered bloom times. Give some thought to where you put your perennials, too, because they won't be pulled up and discarded every year, like annuals.

Annuals will flower almost constantly while perennials go in and out of flower, so you can plant for an ongoing display of different colors, shapes, and textures. If your perennials finish blooming, or even before they start, tuck annuals around them to fill in any gaps. Just be sure to combine plants that have the same basic needs for light and water. Shade-loving annual impatiens, for example, won't last long beside perennial sun-lovers like coneflowers.

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Perennials Make Great Plants for Your Garden

Proven Winners® Perennials—Fuss-free plants that flourish for years

SHOP FOR PERENNIALS ONLINE (only selected varieties available)

Perennials are a flower garden’s backbone, providing beautiful color, texture and form. They are easy-care, dependable performers that come back every year. They also are:

• Uncommonly colorful thanks to foliage and/or flowers
• Trialed and tested for proven performance
• Grow bigger and better with each growing season

Popular types of perennials

Perennial plants offer incredible variety. You're sure to find a fit for your garden. Many are drought tolerant once established, others make great cut flowers, and some can be grown in containers.

Learn more:

• Perennials for Sun
• Perennials for Shade
• Top 20 Best Selling Perennials 

Growing perennials

Keep in mind that all plants – perennials and annuals -- are programmed by Mother Nature to survive.  All they need is the right amount of sunlight, food, water, and an occasional haircut. Learn more about perennial care. What makes Proven Winners® perennials different is that they are programmed to flourish year after year.  They are born and bred to be innovators with extended bloom, expanded regions of performance, new colors and forms.

New to gardening with perennials?  Here’s an important tip -- be patient. The gardening adage, “First year sleeps, second year creeps, third year leaps” is true. While Proven Winners perennial hybrids are bred for their vigor, it still takes at least a year for most to look like the photos on their plant tags.

Perennial of the year winners

FAQs

What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial?

Annuals die when it gets too cold out.  Perennials appear to die when the temperatures drops, but they’re actually hibernating. Beneath that dead-looking clump of stems, leaves and blooms are hardy roots that will produce a new plant come spring.

Do perennials come back every year?

If all goes well, perennials will come back every year. Some are short-lived and will last 2-3 years, while others can last 5 years or longer.

Here are some ways to encourage perennials to return:

• Make sure they can be grown in your zone
• Plant them in a spot that gets the right amount of sun or shade
• Ensure you are watering and fertilizing according to the plant's needs
• Prune or divide overgrown plants to rejuvenate them
• Remove spent flowers and damaged foliage

What perennials bloom the longest?

If you are looking for long-blooming perennials, try these:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Catmint
• Coneflower
• Hardy geranium
• Phlox
• Shasta daisy
• Red hot poker
• Russian sage
• Sedum (stonecrop)
• Tickseed
• Yarrow

What are the easiest perennials to grow?

The easiest perennials are drought tolerant, don't need fertilizing, and will continue blooming without deadheading. Check out our Top 10 Low Maintenance Perennials.

When to plant perennials?

It is best to plant perennials in mild weather. Plant them in spring after the last frost and before the heat of summer. Or plant them in fall before the first frost.

Want to learn more?

How to Make a Flower Bed

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