Perennials are plants and flowers which live for two or more years. You can plant them where you’d like to have them grow, and some of them will live, grow, and thrive for twenty years or more. Some perennial plants only live for two to three years, but on average most will live for at least five years. This makes them an excellent investment for long term garden planning.
Since perennial plants tend to be a long term decision though, where you plant them and the types of plants you choose are critical decisions to make during your garden planning process. You won’t be happy putting a perennial plant in a prime location for instance, only to find out later you don’t like the plant at all and you’re unable to easily get rid of it.
Most new gardeners will plant a mixture of annual and perennial plants together in a new garden though, because the annuals give them immediate flower blooms and bursts of color while the perennials are still becoming established. Some perennials won’t even bloom for the first year or two either, and this can be frustrating and disappointing for someone when they first plant their gardens.
Most fruits are perennial plants, as are shrubs, bushes and trees. Strawberries and grapes for instance, often don’t produce fruits the first year or two they’re in the ground. Grapes require some sort of climbing support as well, because they are a vine. Strawberries on the other hand, will send out shoots which take root and start new strawberry plants. You can help encourage your strawberry plants to concentrate on creating fruits by snipping off most of the new shoots that the plant sends out.
Since fruits are high in water content, the plants which grow those fruits require large amounts of water to grow successfully. Fruit plants also require lots of sunlight too – usually at least five to six hours of direct sunlight each day.
Many shade loving plants are perennials as well, such as the various forms hosta plants that can be purchased at almost any local garden center. Verbena is another beautiful, long blooming plant which sometimes comes in perennial form too, and it’s especially easy to grow in hot, dry climates.
Some types of annual flowers and plants will act like perennials simply because they reseed themselves each year. The morning glory vine for instance, and four o’clock flowers are two examples of annuals which produce massive numbers of seeds each year. Those seeds drop to the ground and are scarified over the winter, then they start sprouting up on their own the next spring.
You can read more at Growing Perennials
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