Knowing how to care for flowers in your garden requires that you understand their lifecycle. Here’s a very simple primer on the difference between annuals, perennials and biennials:
Annual
An annual goes from seed, to plant, to flower, and back to seed in one growing season. Examples of annuals include morning glory, sunflower, and marigold.
Perennial
A perennial grows for multiple seasons. The root system does not die as with an annual, but the above ground growth generally does die back. Examples of perennials include coreopsis, purple coneflower, and lavender.
Biennial
Biennials take two years to complete their life cycle. They go from seed to plant the first year, and then from plant to flower to seed the second year. The seed drops and begins to grow continuing the cycle. Examples of biennials include foxglove, columbine, and hollyhock. (Biennials take my breath away!)
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