Annuals, Biennials and Perennials
Ace is the place for gorgeous plants including annuals, biennials
and perennials.
Flowering
Plant Life Cycles
Botanists recognize three categories of flowering plants based on
their life cycles: annuals, biennials, and perennials.
Annuals
Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season.
They generally are abundant flower producers. Common examples are petunias,
marigolds, and zinnias.
Biennials
Biennials complete their life cycles in two growing seasons. Normally
blooming in spring, the seeds that follow germinate immediately producing
plants that are capable of overwintering until the following spring. After
flowering, the plant will die. Examples are forget-me-nots, foxglove, and
hollyhocks.
Perennials
Perennial plants live for three or more years. This category is further
subdivided into two groups: the woody trees and shrubs, and the herbaceous
perennials. In temperate zones, the leaves and stems of herbaceous
perennials die back to the crown (junction between stem and root) each
winter. Examples are irises, oriental poppies, phlox, and mums.
For more, click on the Annuals, Biennials and Perennials icon above.