Quote:
Originally Posted by ashyboi5000
I'm very much an average gardener. Only really got into this year. I bought a heated propagator and I've successfully grown some chilli and pepper seedlings. Yes I started off early in the season! And got a blueberry plant and a Weigela I'm both nursing. The garden is typically the parents domain- I'm 23 and live at home- but currently staring out to the back it's looking rather scruffy.
I'm now wanting some flowering plants, are perennials the ones that flower year after year just so I am clear?
Can anybody offer any advice for some seeds to get? Ideally I would like them to be evergreen too, to give some winter colour other than brown and to flower each year. If possible I would like them to flower this year too.
There seems to be loads out there and I would just be picking what I like the looks of. Or is this the best thing to do?
A lot seem to say they flower second year, would they be safe outside over winter in their first year?
A barage of questions but hopefully some-one can make some sense and be able to give some advise.
Thanks.
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Botanically, an annual plant grows from seed, flowers, sets seed and dies all in one year. Plants which grow on from year to year are perennial.
But gardeners tend to use the terms slightly different.
Plants which you grow for one year are classed as annuals - eg poppies (even if they would carry on for years in their native environment, like runner beans)
Biennials are plants that you grow from seed in year one, they flower in year 2, and then they die (or you throw them away)- eg foxgloves.
Perennials are plants which carry on growing for several years, with luck flowering each year. We generally use this term for herbaceous plants ("flowers") rather than trees and shrubs. Typically, perennials don't get to flowering size in their first year.
As to whether they'll survive outside over winter, look at ones called "hardy", often abbreviated to H, as in HP hardy perennial. There's also "Half hardy which I'm not sure about.
Think about what you're after - are you enjoying the experience of growing things, or are you merely wishing to add some colour to the garden? In either case, I'd grow some easy annuals for colour this year, but your approach to perennials will depend on whether you are just after results, or whetehr you are also enjoying the process of getting there.
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