MiddletownJournal.com

When I worked in a garden center, sometimes customers asked about the difference between annuals and perennials.

Annuals are plants that you have to plant every year because they won't live through the winter in our Southwestern Ohio Zone 6 area or because they only have a one-season growth cycle.

Perennials are plants that will live through the winter in dormancy or semi-dormancy and return every spring for at least several years and frequently much longer.

Why grow perennials? Some say they don't like them, as they only flower for specific periods of time, as opposed to annuals that will flower from late spring until a killing frost. That is true, but if you grow a variety of perennials, there will always be something in bloom — for much longer than the annuals one has to go through the trouble and expense of planting every year. With perennials, one can have blooms from March until November. Most perennials multiply from year to year. One can start out with one quart pot of a daylily, and then within a few years, have several daylily plants in different locations after splitting them several times.

Perennials can be quite long-lived. For example, peonies can live for 50 years or more. On the other hand, some other perennials are quite short-lived, such as delphiniums. I feel lucky when a delphinium of any sort comes back after winter.

Some plants are sold as perennials when they are actually biennials. Biennials are plants such as hollyhocks and foxgloves. Biennials grow a crown of leaves the first year, and then flower and produce seed the second year. After that their life cycle is finished. Sometimes it seems that some biennial plants are perennial because they self seed and new plants grow every year — this certainly happens with hollyhocks.

Some perennials are only available for a certain period of time. Now is the time to seek out and buy spring perennials, as they generally aren't available after they finish flowering. Examples include Bleeding Heart, Hellebores, Brunnera, Foamflower, Pulmonaria, Pasque Flower and Columbine. In early summer, you will find perennials for sale that are midsummer or late summer bloomers, and in mid to late summer, you will find the perennials that are late summer and fall bloomers.

Another factor to consider is where you are going to plant your perennial. When buying perennials, they are generally grouped together by whether they are shade perennials or sun perennials. Even shade perennials usually like morning sun or dappled shade. Very few plants thrive in all day deep shade. Look at the plant tags for specific information, such as hardiness zone and light requirements. Also, it is preferable to frequent garden centers where the staff is knowledgeable so you can ask for advice when shopping. Also note whether the plant stock is frequently replenished — this is a sign of a good plant nursery.

Ildiko Sherman is a local gardener and columnist. Contact her with gardening questions at Ildiko5@earthlink.net or write c/o The Journal, 52 S. Broad St., Middletown, OH 45044.

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