Annuals or Perennials - Many gardeners wonder if they should fill their yard with perennials or plant annuals every year. Perennials will come back each year and annuals have to be bought and planted every season. So it would seem that perennials would be the smarter choice, but maybe not.
What Should You Plant, Annuals or Perennials?
If you want a beautiful flower garden that has color all summer long, it is best to go with a combination of both. The is good reason for this. Annuals will provide you will color all summer long, where perennials have a season. They will bloom for a period and then either remain as green foliage or die back to the ground until next year.
So, you may be saying why not just plant annuals since they bloom all season, right? It really is personal preference and you can fill your yard with annuals if you want. But, by mixing the two you get a yard that is always changing, with new interest almost weekly.
Perennials also give your flower beds a structure or definition. They are always constant, after a few years you will look forward to the peonies that always come up and bloom in the spring, or the fall mums that show their color after everything else has faded. As I stated above, many perennials will remain as green foliage when they aren't blooming and that provides a beautiful backdrop for your showy annuals.
A good plan is to design your yard so you have shrubs, perennials and annuals. Start with the shrubs and trees since they are like the framework. Then tuck groupings of perennials here and there in your yard. Take care to notice the exposure requirement and how big a plant will get before you plant it. Many gardeners have had to pull out beautiful perennials because they grew too big for the spot they were planted! It is also a good idea to take note of when the plant usually blooms. That way you can spread the beauty around your yard. You don't want all the spring bloomers in one spot and the summer ones in another.
When you are planting your perennials, leave pockets of space for annuals. It is so beautiful to have a few showy annuals sprinkled throughout the yard. If you want a real show, leave a couple of larger areas where you can plant an entire bed or section of just petunias or other vibrant annuals for gorgeous color.
It is really up to you whether too plant annuals or perennials. But a good mix of both will make your yard stunning!
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