Have you ever gone into a home and garden store and walked up and down the aisles determined to find some plants to put in your yard? If so, then you know how many choices stare you in the face. Sure, there are the easy decisions to make like what colors you would like, how big you want them to be and what kind of leaves you'd like to feature. But what about the more difficult decisions: Which plants are best for the region I live in? Which plants would live best in the shade and which in the sun? And exactly what is the difference between perennials and annuals? What do those terms even mean?
It can be an incredibly daunting task, but one that can be made easier with the help of HowStuffWorks. By definition, a perennial is a plant that lives longer than two years. It blooms in the spring and summer, and then it dies again every fall and winter. Then again in the spring, the blooms come out to greet the warmth and sunshine. While perennials have to live longer than two years to qualify as one, some have been known to live as much as 3,000 years. Now you won't be around that long to see if your plant thrives, but there are some things you need to know to make sure your plant has the best life possible.
Visit HowStuffWorks to wade your way through all things perennial, from which plants are considered part of the family to how to care for them properly. We'll take the guess work out of your yard, so you can spend your time digging your cares away. So get those shovels and sprinklers ready as we take a trip through perennial paradise.
The encyclopedia of perennials helps you select and care for perennials. Learn all about your favorite perennials in the encyclopedia of perennials.
Goat's beard, or wild spirea, is a showy perennial that comes into bloom in early autumn, producing many dramatic plumes composed of tiny, white flowers. Learn more about this easy-to-grow plant. See more »
Yellow and red gaillardia, or blanket flowers, are daisies with serrated tips on the ray petals. These perennials are very tough and cheerful and make great cut flowers. Find out more about these hardy daisies.
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Garden phlox is an easy to grow perennial. These fragrant flowers make great border plants. Pop some color into your garden with these showy blossoms. Learn about the garden phlox.
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Gas plant, or burning bush, grows up to three feet tall. Its shiny leaves smell a bit like lemon. Learn to make gas plant a part of your garden, even after the flowers are gone.
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Gaura is tough enough for regions with hot summers. This perennial has delicate pink or white flowers under an inch wide, in big clusters. Learn more about this drought resistant flower.
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Geraniums, or crane's-bill, are clump-forming perennials that bloom in late spring or early summer. The flowers vary in color and size, but are great for rock gardens and as border plants. Learn about geraniums.
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Globe thistles are perennials that produce metallic-blue blossoms with perfectly round flower heads atop ribbed stems. The spiny-edged leaves are white and woolly underneath. Learn how to grow these blue beauties.
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Globeflowers stun the eye with golden flowers on stems over 2 feet high. The large blooms grow well near water. Learn to grow and display globeflowers in a vase or planted en masse outdoors.
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Goat's beard, or wild spirea, is a showy perennial that comes into bloom in early autumn, producing many dramatic plumes composed of tiny, white flowers. Learn more about this easy-to-grow plant.
See more »
Golden Alexanders are splendid additions to a woodland garden or a meadow full of prairie wildflowers. This attractive native plant carries its springtime umbels of golden yellow flowers over shiny, divided green leaves. Learn to care for Golden Alexanders.
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Golden aster, a native to America, has furry stems with a violet tint. Growing up to 3 feet high, the flowers are yellow. Learn to grow this drought-resistant blossom in regular or sandy soil.
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Golden lace, scabious patrinia, is a much overlooked perennial that mixes well with most other plants. It is easy to care for and makes an excellent cut flower. Read about this great flower.
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The golden marguerite is a daisylike perennial that comes out in full bloom from May to July. Though the individual flowers are small, they are produced in large quantities. Read more about this lovely flower at HowStuffWorks.
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Goldenrod comes in about 130 species in the wild and, at times, reaches 6 feet in height. Learn to grow these yellow flowers in a wild garden or waterside, either mid-garden or along its edge.
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Goldenstar sprouts 2-inch yellow flowers from its stem nodes. Its stems grow into a mound around 10 inches in height. Though its leaves are evergreen, goldenstar needs protection from snow and wind. Read about goldenstar.
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Gooseneck loosestrife is a perennial flower with white to orange blossoms. Its stout stems grow quite tall and end in whorls of small flowers that bloom in summer. Learn more about gooseneck loosestrife.
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Goutweed, also known as bishop's weed, can easily grow out of control but for the same reason, it makes for perfect ground cover. Read about its foliage and flowers and how to care for it.
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The foliage and seed heads of ornamental grasses help to extend the garden season through winter. These perennials usually have feathery or plumelike flowers. Learn more about ornamental grasses for the garden.
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Hardy ageratum, or mist flower, is a blue-flowered perennial that appears in spring and blooms in early fall. It is excellent in a border or as edging in places with full sun to partial shade.
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Looking just a bit like sunflowers, heleniums, or sneezeweed, flower in the fall with huge masses of blooms on branched stems. Find out more about this cheerful perennial.
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Hosta decorata is a strong perennial that will survive a frosty winter. Numerous lilac, trumpet-shaped flowers appear in panicles in midsummer, and the plant spreads to form a ground cover. Find uses and preferences for hosta decorata in this article.
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