Perennial flowers what is

When planting perennials in your yard, choose a few early blooming perennials that will bring a burst of color as early as March and April. In addition to perennials that bloom early in the season but fade away after a few weeks, you should also choose several long-blooming perennials. Long blooming plants typically bloom for a minimum of six to ten weeks.

Adding these flowers and plants to your yard will ensure that you have color that lasts all summer long. The dog days of summer often bring extreme heat and humidity, and very little precipitation, especially in the Central Pennsylvania region. This often leads to drought conditions , which can put a lot of stress on your landscape. The following drought tolerant perennials are hardy enough to withstand high heat and low precipitation.

Some perennials thrive in full sun, while others tolerate areas of shade. How is your landscape situated? Is it flooded with afternoon sun or does a large tree or other structure cover much of your yard with shade? Rose campion is a short-lived perennial , but because it self-seeds so readily, it appears to live much longer.

While other perennials, like peonies, have been known to last for more than years, though it may take several seasons before they establish. This gardening saying describes the delayed gratification that can come with growing perennials: "The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.

Not all plants with the ability to be perennial are hardy in all areas. Some can be killed by freezing temperatures, excessively dry conditions, or other growing conditions.

This is why hardiness zones are so important. Knowing what zone you garden in will allow you to determine what plants will survive in your area.

Tender perennials, like begonias, elephant ears, and succulents, may overwinter in warm climates, while cold temperatures in northern zones can kill the plants entirely. The term perennial is most often used for plants with showy flowers, but plants such as ornamental grasses, tropicals such as canna and caladiums, vegetables rhubarb and artichokes, and other plants that have their own categories may also be perennial.

The term herbaceous perennial further narrows the definition of perennials to plants with soft, green stems that die back to the ground in colder climates. Trees and shrubs are considered woody or non-herbaceous perennials. While annuals live for only one season , they tend to have a long bloom season. They are usually bright and showy, used by gardeners to add burst of bright color to their flower beds and container gardens.

Popular annuals include petunia, vinca and lantana. Garden Heights Nursery carries a vast variety of both full sun and shade annual plants in containers. Check out our selection this spring!

You may have heard the term biennial in describing a plant and wondered what it meant. Biennials are plants that grow for two seasons, yet don't bloom until the second year.

Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. The Rise of the Cleanfluencer. Getty Images. Mkovalevskaya Getty Images. Zones 3- 9; prefers partial shade; blooms summer to fall. Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum. Zones ; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to fall. AYImages Getty Images. False Indigo Baptisia. Daylily Hemerocallis.

Zones 2 - 9; prefers full sun but tolerates shade; blooms spring to summer. Jacky Parker Photography Getty Images. Zones 4 - 7; prefers full or partial sun; blooms spring to summer. Butterfly Bush Summer Lilacs. Zones 5 - 10; prefers full sun; blooms summer to fall. Zones 3 - 9; prefers partial sun; blooms summer to fall. Yarrow Achillea. Zones 3 - 9; prefers full sun; blooms summer. N-sky Getty Images.

Sedum Stonecrop. Ron Evans. Ornamental Grass. Zones vary; most prefer partial shade; blooms spring to summer. Solidago Getty Images. Goldenrod Solidago. Zones 2 - 8; prefers full to partial sun; blooms late summer to fall. Ray Wise Getty Images.