Should You Plant Annual Flowers or Perennials This Spring?

Spring is a great time to refresh the look of your garden and add some color to it. If you're thinking about installing plants in your landscape beds in Alabama or Tennessee this spring, you have two options: annual flowers or perennials. Annual flowers are plants that will bloom for just one growing season before they die, while perennials are plants that come back every year. Both types of plants are excellent additions to any garden, but which type should you choose? Well, that depends on your preference and whether you want short-term color or long-term additions!

What are annual flowers?

An annual flower is a flower that only lives for a single growing season. When an annual flower grows to its full size, blooms, and produces seeds, it will then start to die off. While some annual flowers may take longer than others to reach maturity, most will begin to grow quickly in the early spring and produce flowers by mid-spring. The flowers on annual plants usually last for a while, providing longer-lasting blooms that keep your landscape bright. For annual flowers, this means that while they might not be able to stick around forever, they can still provide you with many blooms throughout the season!

What are perennial plants?

Unlike annual flowers, perennials live for three or more growing seasons. These plants can be divided into two categories: short-lived and long-lived. Short-lived perennials only last between 3-5 years, while long-lived perennials typically live for more than 10 years. Most of these plants need to be established in the ground for at least 2 years before they start blooming, but some varieties bloom much quicker than others. However, their blooms may not last as long as annuals.

Perennials typically spread out wide across your landscape bed or garden and form dense mats of foliage and blooms. Most will slowly increase in size and number each year, meaning they won't look good for a single season but for multiple seasons. Because of their longevity, perennials are often used to fill larger areas of landscapes.

The choice between annual flowers or perennials for the spring comes down to personal preference.

Deciding whether to plant annuals or perennials in the spring depends entirely on personal preference. Neither choice is better than the other; it all comes down to how much effort you want to put into maintaining your garden and whether you want short-term color or long-term additions. If you enjoy seeing new flowers every season, annuals are a great way to keep your landscape vibrant and changing with the seasons. On the other hand, if you prefer having fewer flowers to care for and like the idea of something lasting for several seasons, perennials might be the right choice for you.

Some common perennials include:

• Camellias
• Viburnums
• Azaleas
• Hydrangeas
• Aucubas

Some common spring annuals include:

• Begonias
• Petunias
• Snapdragons
• Sweet Alyssums

Give us a call to schedule our landscape and annual flower installation services!

Whether you opt for annuals or perennials, we will make sure your landscape looks its best with either of our 2 installation services: our annual flower installation service and our landscape installation service. We install spring, summer, and fall annuals to create beautiful displays for each season with our annual flower service, and we offer many options for perennials with our landscape installation service.

Our team offers these services to commercial and residential properties, as well as HOAs, in Huntsville, AL, and surrounding areas, such as Owens Cross Roads and Madison. We also service those with properties in nearby cities of Tennessee, like Winchester and Fayetteville. Liven up your garden this spring by calling us at (256) 975-0529 to schedule either of our services!