The Best Ones to Put in a Garden: Annual or Perennials?

Characteristics of Annuals

• B. Rosie Lerner, of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension explains that an annual is a plant that completes its entire life cycle in one season. Many annuals must be replaced the following season, but there are many species that self-seed -- they produce seeds that drop to the ground and sprout the following season. In this way, they are similar to perennials and can be planted someplace you'd like them to reappear in following seasons. Annuals are loved for their bright blooms, which are quick to appear and make a versatile addition to any garden scheme. They also, however, tend to be much more labor-intensive than perennials.

Characteristics of Perennials

• Perennials are plants that die to the ground in late fall, but reappear in the spring, thanks to energy stores they build up during the growing season. These plants tend to require very little care, although they will have to be divided every three years or so. This is the point when their vitality begins to wane and they take on a spent, leggy appearance, and tend to have fewer flowers. Perennials tend to be more expensive initially, but last longer than annuals. Some perennials, such as peonies, can live up to 100 years.

How to Use Annuals

• Annuals are an excellent choice anywhere you need lots of color and quickly. They are quick to grow and bloom. If you do a lot of container gardening, or you have window boxes, you'll love annuals, and their one-season growth cycle means you can replace the flowers in any container with new plants for the following season.

How to Use Perennials

• Use perennials in native gardens --- many native plants are perennials --- or gardens to which you'd like to attract wildlife, such as birds and butterflies. These native perennials are well-adapted to their conditions, have evolved with the wildlife that rely on them for a food source, and will reward you for years with low-maintenance and even late-season color. Tall perennials make great border plants toward the back of the garden, and you can fill in the area in front of the border with other, shorter, perennials or bright, perky annuals.