Rule #1 – there are exceptions to every rule.
Categories of herbaceous (not woody) plants can be confusing to newbies because it’s the opposite of what makes sense. Annual – every year, right? Nope, annuals complete their life cycle in one season.
Most annuals bloom all summer; most perennials flower for a few days or weeks each year. For a garden with lots of color, plant both. Remember that attractive foliage can contribute to a handsome garden.
Annuals – many bloom all summer into autumn. Most premium annuals are self-cleaning, do not need deadheading but do require fertilizer regularly.
Perennials – long-lived ones can go on for generations. Short-lived perennials give a few years but sometimes self sow (from their own seed) and live on. Tender perennials are not usually hardy in our region but hey, climate change. Perennial labels and references give ‘hardiness zones’. These are a guideline not a promise as there are variables influencing survival. In Falmouth we are USDA zone 7a.
Occasional premature death of perennials can be for a variety of reasons, some under our control, many not:
- excessive cold or sudden cold snap
- poor attention to watering in the weeks following planting
- a cold, wet winter = soil that drains poorly = root rot
- poorly drained soil (uncommon but unheard of on sandy Cape Cod)
- a mismatch between what growing conditions you have & what your plant needs.
Do not be discouraged & do ask advice of our very experienced staff. Perennials are great and often multiply in size so you can divide them to create drifts of plants or share with friends.
Biennials
They grow only foliage during their first season, flower the second year and sometimes perish after blooming. Some people feel they are a bad deal when in fact they can be the best deal.
If you allow biennial hollyhocks, forget-me-nots, foxgloves and money plant to go to seed after blooming, they will likely drop their seeds and “self sow”. Or once their seeds are ripe (when seed pods turn from green to tan) you can play Johnny Appleseed and sprinkle the seeds around your beds. Decades of free flowers can result.
