Types Of Perennials
A Look At The Different Types Of Perennials
Ask several people what the different types of perennials are, and you're apt to get several different answers. Each of us tends to classify things based upon what and from whom we have learned. This isn't necessarily bad, as perennials as a group are fairly well defined, and one can classify them in any way that makes some sense.
One example would be bulbs. Bulbs are sometimes classified as perennials and sometime placed in a different category. Bulbs do grow back year after year and generally die back to the ground every autumn. Some even tend to spread or bunch, all characteristics typical of most perennials. Many gardeners however look at bulbs more from a seasonal standpoint, as plants that give the garden some early spring color.
Herbaceous Perennials - If bulbs would fit into the general classification of a type of perennial, they would be considered herbaceous perennials, plants that die back to the ground at the end of one growing season and reappear at the start of the next. There are many examples of herbaceous perennials, including most flowering perennials. The Shasta daisy, hollyhock, columbine, bleeding heart, and primrose are but a few examples.
Tender Perennials and Hardy Perennials - These two types of perennials are lumped into one, simply because the demarcation between the two is often somewhat fuzzy. A tender perennial is a plant that will grow year after year, though may easily be killed by a hard frost, or even a light one. A hardy perennial is one that can survive very cold winters, so can be grown in most areas of the United States. Even varieties of the same species can often fall into the different camps. Clematis, wisteria, and hibiscus are three plants generally considered to be perennials, yet some varieties will not survive colder climates, and would be considered tender perennials. The same could be said for roses. Some do well in very cold climates; others will not last past the first year. In cooler climates, tender perennials are often treated as annuals if they will bloom the first year, or planted from seedlings or transplanted if not.
Woody Perennials - Woody perennials are plants having woody stems and branches, and generally consist of shrubs and trees. A sub-type would be the semi-woody perennial which may have a somewhat woody trunk and/or woody main branches, but other branches are not woody and tend to die back each year. The hibiscus, spirea, azalea and rhododendron are examples of woody perennials, which also happen to be flowering perennials. Many woody perennials are also evergreens.
It's Your Choice - Whether you should plant annuals, perennials or both is a matter of personal choice. Both have their place in the garden, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. A beginning gardener starting with a small garden is most apt to stick to annuals, at least initially. The variety is huge; they tend to be very colorful, and are mostly low growing. Generally they require more care than do perennials but the garden scheme can be changed every year, or several time during the year for that matter.
The perennial is often a plant that is more or less expected to fill a certain spot in the garden, and remain there, be it a clump of hollyhocks, a rose bed, or evergreen bushes and shrubs. Perennials are the only real answer for a ground cover, and are sometimes at their best when placed in a rock garden. There are a few perennials that bloom late into the fall, and there are even a few winter bloomers. If you purchase perennials locally, you probably don't have to worry too much about whether they are tender or hardy, or what the plant will look like, as perennials are most often purchased as young plants, and not so apt to be planted from seeds.