Annuals vs Perennials

Annuals and Perennials. This terminology is used a lot in gardening and once I had learnt the difference I could understand which plants would live for longer than one season, and which plants would only last for one Summer and die back.

Quite simply: Annual plants live for one growing season and then die, while perennials regrow every spring. 

Examples of Annuals: Cosmos, Sunflowers, Marigolds

Examples of Perennials: Foxgloves, Delphiniums, Salvias

One mistake I made when I started gardening was only buying and sowing annual plants. This meant I was buying lots of seeds and plants that would only flower one season. It's an expensive way of starting a garden from scratch. In an ideal world I would recommend a mix of annuals and perennials. Perennials are cost-effective as they come back every year and annuals mean that you can change the garden year on year, and there are some beautiful flowers that only come as annuals.

So when you're looking for plants at the garden centre, or choosing seeds to grow, try and get a mix of annuals and perennials to ensure you have a garden with flowers year after year, and pops of colour and interest each year.

If you've got any questions about the difference between annuals and perennials then message me on instagram, comment below or drop me an email.