When you want to set up a garden, chances are, you’ve come across the terms annuals and perennials. Both are flowering plants, and understanding them is essential for growing a beautiful landscape no matter the season. Here is a helpful guide to help you plan for a vibrant, thriving garden.

What’s the Difference Between Annuals and Perennials?

All flowering plants go through the same basic steps in their life cycle—they sprout, bloom, and lose their flowers after some time. However, annuals and perennials primarily differ in their longevity. 

Annuals live for only one growing season. Whether you begin with a seed or a seedling, they will germinate, flower, make seeds, and die within the same year. Because of their short lifespan, they bloom constantly and for a long time, producing a brightly colored, lush display. They lose their flowers once the first frost arrives, then die—which is why you must replant them. 

Perennials, on the other hand, live for at least three seasons. They go dormant in winter but return when the weather becomes warmer. Unlike annuals, their blooming seasons are short because they focus on growing their roots instead of flowers. Each variety of perennials has its season, so you’ll get blooms in the spring, summer, fall, and sometimes in winter.

What Types Grow Well in Alaska?

Annual plants cost less and are easier to grow than their perennial counterparts. Since they don’t last long, they aren’t given a growing zone designation. This means you can have more freedom on what to plant to create varying heights, textures, color schemes, and forms in your garden.

Some of the annuals to put in your garden, window planters, and hanging baskets are pansies, petunias, poppies, cosmos, French marigolds, snapdragons, and zinnias. These flowers will bloom all season long, especially when planted in spring and deadheaded. 

Perennials in Alaska are classified as hardy or tender—the latter can survive winter conditions while the former cannot. Hardy perennials include peonies, forget-me-nots, bluebells, monkshood, and wild iris. Meanwhile, dahlias, fuchsias, begonias, and geraniums are tender perennials that won’t thrive with frost.

Make your garden beautiful all year round with annuals and perennials from P & M Garden Services Inc. Located in Eagle River, AK, they have a wonderful selection of house plants, shrubs, flowering plants, and trees in their greenhouse. Check out their Alaskan-grown plants online, or call (907) 694-9293 to speak with one from their team.