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Perennial used as Annual??
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Posted: Feb/07/2008 9:31 PM PST
Perennial used as an Annual--what in the world does that mean??? Do you kill it off after one year?? It gets even more confusing (to me anyway  ) when it says it's a hardy perennial, but a half-hardy annual. So, does the frost kill it, or doesn't it?? In particular, I'm thinking of pansies. I'd like them to come back year after year, but I guess I don't really know what to expect. But, more generally, does anyone know what those terms mean? Thanks 
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Posted: Feb/07/2008 11:21 PM PST
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsh eets/annuals/text/types.html Is it an Annual, Biennial or a Perennial? Local climatic conditions, development of new cultivars, and new uses for specific garden flowers have blurred the distinctions among annuals, biennials, and perennials. Annuals have traditionally been referred to as plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season. Some perennials that bloom quickly (verbena, Jerusalem cherry) are grown as annuals and discarded at the end of one season. Some of our so-called annuals (begonias, impatiens, snapdragons) are actually perennials in warmer climates or mild winters. New cultivars of plants traditionally referred to as biennials are being developed that produce flowers the first season. Foxy is a cultivar of foxglove that will bloom the first year. Annual cultivars of sweet williams and hollyhock have been developed. The distinction between perennials, flowering bulbs, and wildflowers is also blurred. Some garden books and magazines list flowering bulbs as perennials. Many of our wildflowers are commonly grown in perennial gardens, some are grown from bulbs. Most annuals are planted in the spring, flower through the summer and fall, and then die with the first killing frost. Winter-flowering annuals, such as pansies, violas, and flowering cabbage, are planted in the fall, flower in the winter and early spring and die during the summer. Types of Annuals Annual flowers differ in their tolerance to cold weather and frost. Hardy annuals are the most cold tolerant; they will take light frost and some freezing weather without being killed. In most cases, hardy annuals can be planted in the fall or in the spring before the last frost date. Hardy annuals include calendula, cornflower, foxglove, larkspur, pansy, sweet alyssum, stocks, viola, and many dianthus cultivars. Most hardy annuals are not heat tolerant and usually decline and die with the onset of hot summer temperatures. Half-hardy annuals will tolerate periods of cold damp weather, but will be damaged by frost. Most half-hardy annuals can be seeded outdoors in early spring since they do not require warm soil temperatures to germinate. Seeds or plants are normally planted after the last spring frost. Examples of half-hardy annuals include baby’s breath, bells of Ireland, blue sage, candytuft, celome, forget-me-nots, love-in-a-mist, snow-on-the-mountain, strawflower, and torenia. Many half-hardy annuals decline in the midsummer heat but may rebloom in late summer or fall. Because most tender annuals are native to warm tropical regions of the world, they are sensitive to cold soil temperatures and are easily damaged by frost. Most seeds will not germinate well when soil temperatures are below 60°F. If the soil is cold, seeds will rot instead of germinating. Wait two to three weeks after the last spring frost to sow seeds or transplant outdoors. Tender annuals include ageratum, balsam, begonia, celosia, coleus, globe amaranth, impatiens, marigold, morning glory, nasturtium, nicotiana, petunia, scarlet sage, verbena, vinca, and zinnia. Annuals are sometimes categorized as cool- or warm-season. Cool-season annuals, such as geranium, petunia, and snapdragon, grow best when the temperatures are in the 70’s and 80’s during the day. Best flower production is in the spring and fall; flower production declines in the middle of a hot summer. Warm-season annuals, such as blue daze, four-o’clocks, and pentas perform well when the day time temperatures are in the 80’s and 90’s and the night time temperatures are in the 60’s and 70’s. Biennial flowers The life cycle of biennial plants is completed over two growing seasons. During the first season they produce only leaves—usually in a rosette. Following a winter cold period, they flower in the second growing season, produce seeds, and then die. Popular biennials include foxglove, hollyhock, stocks, and sweet williams. Cultural practices are basically the same as for annuals, except that the plants are alive for two growing seasons. Biennials present the obvious disadvantage of producing only foliage the first year. One solution is to sow biennial seeds in mid-summer so that the plants will develop during the summer and fall. After exposure to the winter cold, they will develop flowers in the spring. Prepared by: Erv Evans, Consumer Horticulturist |
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Posted: Feb/08/2008 9:38 AM PST
Thanks, told2b, that is very helpful.
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Posted: Feb/09/2008 7:04 AM PST
Thanks 2b Do you have much success with foxgloves. I planted the yellow and they bloomed somewhat pathetically the second year. I'll be looking for something this spring as I let the seeds fall. But Foxy died thru the first winter. Leafette |
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Posted: Mar/04/2008 2:37 PM PST
CarolynC--I may have an answer to your pansy dilemma. No pansies come back reliably year after year, but winter pansies will bloom from Sept-Christmas, go dormant for 8-12 weeks and come back in late winter/early spring. They will bloom till summer heat kills them for the season. This gives you about 2 1/2 seasons each year. Different stores sell them under different names. Look for them in late Aug/early Sept. at Lowe's, Home Depot, Meijer, Walmart and most other big garden centers. The only problem I've had is planting in a heat wave in Sept. They do much better in a cool autumn. I hadn't planted them for a couple of years and tried again last fall in new beds created by the removal of large shrubs on either side of our garage. I planted mums in the middle, pansies around the perimeter and tulip bulbs in between. There were still a couple of blooms at Christmas. They were trying to revive two weeks ago(two buds had appeared) and then we got several inches of snow and some ice. But now the snow is gone and I see them coming back to life again. They looked nice with the mums for fall and I know they will look good when the tulips bloom. |
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Posted: Mar/04/2008 2:45 PM PST
leafette-don't give up on your foxgloves. I had some that were doing great and then didn't come back two years in a row. I gave up and didn't even try to plant more. Then much to my amazement, they returned! Now they are all over the place, including the beautiful "volunteer" that mysteriously appeared among my ostrich ferns. I was so disappointed it wasn't there last year and in late summer new plants popped up and will probably bloom this spring. Some plants are crazy in their growing habits and like to keep us guessing.  I've had the same thing happen with perennials and self-sowing annuals. |
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