What Kind of Plant is Best for Your Garden?

We all admire the vibrant flowers on display at almost any garden center, maybe you’ve even been tempted to purchase a few. The first time, no matter what you did, your beautiful plants died within the year. You tried again, and the same thing happened. It is possible you purchased an annual. Let’s explore the three main plant life-cycles—annual, biennial, and perennial—and learn which to choose to best serve your garden.

Life-cycle: Annuals

Annuals complete their entire life-cycle in one growing season. They offer bursts of color but need to be replanted each season. They typically bloom toward the end of their life-cycle. Keep in mind, these plants are hardwired to grow during a specific season, make sure the plants you are purchasing are meant to be grown at the time you’re planting them! For example, you do not want to plant a warm season annual, like coleus, in the cooler months because the colder temperatures will kill off the plant. Warm season annuals like to germinate in early spring, grow, and die in the fall. Meanwhile, cool season annuals, like cilantro, germinate in the fall, grow, and die in late spring or early summer.

Petunias
An established petunia can add some visual interest for a single growing season.

Life-cycle: Biennials

Biennials take two seasons to complete their life-cycle. In the first season, they focus on growing foliage and don’t flower. In the second season, they bloom, produce seeds, and then die. Plants like foxgloves and parsley fall into this category.

Young parsley. Photo courtesy of Julia Sirchia UF/IFAS.

Life-cycle: Perennials

Perennials grow in every season and can come back year after year with proper care. These types of plants need some time to become established, during which they will need more care. Once they become adjusted to the growing conditions, they typically require less maintenance than annuals and can regrow year after year. Florida violets and firebush are both native perennials to Central Florida. They’re ideal options for creating a lasting, low-maintenance garden.

Established firebush. “Hamelia patens patens” by Kathy Daniel is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.

Summary

Understanding these life-cycles will help you make the best choice for a garden that fits your needs. So, when you’re at the garden center, consider what you want from your plants. Do you want them to return every year, or are you okay with replanting each season? Keep in mind to match the growing conditions of your garden to the plant. Factors like sunlight, water, and pH should all be considered when selecting a plant.

Have a question?

If you have any questions about gardening in Central Florida, please contact UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County at 352-518-0156. For more information on UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County Community Gardens, and how you can join one, visit http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/pasco/. Supervising Agent: Dr. Whitney Elmore.

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Julia Sirchia, Program Assistant at UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County
Posted: January 16, 2025


Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #RightPlantRightPlace, Annual, Biennials, Central Florida, Community Garden, Community Gardens, Garden, Gardening, Gardens, Goals, Healthy, Horticulture, In, Irrigation, Landscape, Landscaping, Native Plants, Perennial, Plant Lifecycle, Resilient Landscaping, Right Place, Right Plant, Smart Irrigation, Soil, UF/IFAS Pasco Extension Office, Water, Water-wise


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