Annuals and Perennials

ISBN: 9780376030658

定价: 81.00

内容简介

WHAT ARE ANNUALS
AND PERENNIALS?
\"Anmtal???\" perennial???\" and \"biennial\" all bare fair{y ???qratgh.~oru ard
botanical cl~n#ions. In garden#Tg usage??? /hough??? the ca/egoJ3 lines can
become someu???hat blun ed For evample??? some plants a bomnis! wouM caA
egorize as pemmials can be grou???n most successfully as annuals.
AN N UALS
Bocanically??? an annual is a plant that completes its life cycle in a year or less. In the
course of a single growing season??? the seed germinates and the plant grows??? blooms???
goes to seed??? and dies. Because the)??? must complete their life cycle in such a short time???
annuals grow and bh)om qtdckly in their rush to set seed??? bringing their joyous color to
the garden in only a few months from sowing. They are reliable bloomers: if spent blos-
soms are removed??? most kinds flower for a long period??? persisting in their quest to pro-
duce seed.
Depending on the varieties you choose??? annuals can decorate your garden for
much of the yea1: Cool-season types (calendula and viola??? for example) prosper in cool
soils mid mild temperatures--from fall through spring in mild-winter climates??? from
early to late spring elsewhere. Following the cool-season show are waxm-season an-
nuals such as cosmos and zinnia??? which are typically planted ???after the year s last frost
mid??? in most climates??? bloom generously throughout summer and fall.
PERENNIALS
hi botanical terms??? perennials are nonwoody plants that~ ~ i
live for more than 2 years. Unlike annuals??? they return
replanth~g--though many grow at a somewhat P .~\" -\"
rekcsettle in and reach their full potential.
Among perennials??? you ll find plant???; with vari-
oils growth habits. Some??? such as hosta and peon}???
(l aeonia)??? die down to the grotmd at the end of
each growing season??? then reappear at the start of die
next; these are ()hen referred to as \"herbaceous\"
plants. Others??? including Shasta daisy (Cbo???santhenutm l ???.~evnia
ntaxinlttm) mid cored bells (lteltcbera)??? go tlirougb win- Festi~a~.la_xima
ter as low tufts of leaves??? ready to grow when spring arrives. A
third i)1~e of perennial is truly evergreen??? with h}llage that pm~.ists ~dmost unchanged
througllotu the winter months. New Zealand flax (Pho*wthlm)??? some daylilies (ltenw-
rocallis)??? and perennial pinks (Diantbus) are fanliliar exanlples.
A few plants??? though technically perennials??? Iuay be growu as anntr??? ds. Example5
include certain tender pkmts (those tliat cannot SUlM ???e freezing temperatures) such as
common gerauium (l e&tL??? onium)??? fibrous begopda??? marguerite (Cbo???santbemnm