Annuals versus Perennials
It had been several years since we first moved into our house, when I decided that I wanted to plant some flowers to brighten up the landscape. The logical decision, since I thought that I only new a little about gardening, was to go to the local greenhouse. The owner was extremely helpful and friendly and asked deep, probing questions. Well, he asked one question. I mentioned that I thought I only knew a little about gardening. It turns out I knew nothing. I couldn’t answer his first question – “Annual or Perennial.”
I told him that I wanted whichever one of them grew flowers. He laughed – I’m sure he was laughing WITH me – and said they both grow flowers. I figured some education was in order, so I asked him what was the difference between an annual and perennial.
He said the difference was simple. Annuals only last for a year. You plant them in the spring, enjoy them in the summer, and by fall they’re becoming next year’s fertilizer. In some cases, they will reseed themselves so you’ll see a similar plant the following year, but it will not be the same plant.
Based on his description, I assumed perennials were the flowers that kept coming back year after year after year. They would live on forever. The man at the greenhouse said I was close. Perennials actually have a life cycle that extends past a single growing season and usually into three, four, or five years.
I still wasn’t sure what he meant. He said that perennials are like a haircut. It grows until it gets too long and then you cut it. The hair hasn’t died, it’s just become shorter. That’s the winter months for a perennial. It grows and then the flowering part dies until the next year where it grows out again – just like my hair. As I rubbed my temple, I recalled my receding hairline. My forehead wasn’t this high a year ago. That’s when it clicked about the perennials. They live for several years – like my hair – grower taller every year, and then they start to weaken and die – again, just like my hair. He said that I knew exactly what he was talking about now.
Thanks to the advertisement I had just received in the mail, I knew that hair could be replaced. It was the same for the perennials, he said. After a few years it was a good idea to replace them with more viable plants.
I thanked the man for the education he had given me. I now understood that an annual plant only lasts for a year. A perennial lasts for many years. He said it was a good idea to mix the two when it came time for my garden. Together we picked out a nice matching assortment of plants, paid for them, and walked out to my car. Now … where are my keys?
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If you are a garden lover, but have no space for your gardening appetite, don’t worry gardening is not necessarily out of your reach. In the available space of your house say balcony, patio, deck, or sunny window, you can create a container gardening, which will not only bring you joy but also ve. . .
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