The difference between annuals and perennials
In terms of | Annual Plants | Perennial plants |
| Longevity
| live for one year or one season, so that they bloom and die during one season, so they are also called annual plants | Completes its life cycle in more than two years, and lives for several seasons, the top of which dies only in winter, and then returns to grow the following spring. |
| Place of cultivation
| It can be grown in gardens, containers, orchards, and fields for growing crops and in tropical and subtropical climates. | It is grown all over the world in open areas, wilds, and forests. |
| Ease of cultivation | It needs to be replanted every year. | It requires less effort, as it grows by itself every year using its remaining roots. |
| Price | Its cost is lower than that of perennials. | Their cost is higher than annuals due to their long life and needs effort and time to grow and care before they can be sold. |
| The temperature it can withstand | It tolerates different temperatures during the season. | tolerates moderate temperatures only, such as spring and autumn, it does not tolerate frost and cold temperatures like winter. |
| Suitable climate | Since they live for one season, there is no specific climate for them, as they live throughout the season. | It grows in spring and autumn. |
| Cultivation cost | Less expensive than perennials because they do not require much maintenance. | Its cost is higher than annuals. |
| Height | It’s only 25-38 cm high. | It is characterized by its high height, it is much higher than annual plants. |
| Flower production | They Bloom all year round even in frost season, and their flowers are inconsistent and refreshing colors | It blooms for a short time, up to 2-6 weeks only. |
| Tree density | They tend to be less dense and abundant than perennials. | It is characterized by dense plants. |
For more information about What are perennial plants? you can read the article What are perennial plants?
Comparison of annuals and perennials in morphology
Perennial plants come in many forms, including trees with a long and strong stem or trunk that supports the growth of branches and leaves, and one of the most famous perennial plants in the UAE is the Sidr Tree, shrubs or so-called woody plants containing multiple stems formed close to their base, and finally sub-shrubs, which are very short shrubs that are shorter and smaller than woody plants, and one of the most famous perennial plants in Saudi Arabia is the Belfaris shrub or the so-called dress thistle.
Annual plants also come in several different forms, including agricultural crops such as rice, soy, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn, garden plants, that is ornamental plants such as marigolds and petunias, and many weeds are also considered annual plants such as hogweed and Lamb’s quarters, and one of the most famous annual plants in the UAE truffles, humid, Egyptian mallow, and Centaurea psendosinaica.
Comparison of annuals and perennials species
Annual plant species
Annual plants include 3 types, as follows:
- Winter annuals or hardy annuals: Annual plants that thrive in a mild to cold climate in early spring and autumn, so they can withstand light frost without having to protect them, including larkspur.
- Summer annuals: Annuals plants that grow and thrive in hot climates, so they can never withstand cold climates so it’s best to plant them in late spring to ensure their protection and survival, native to areas with tropical and subtropical climates, including marigolds, and petunias.
- Semi-hardy annuals: annual plants that grow and withstand different temperatures until cold climate, are the most common species.
Types of perennial plants
Perennial plants include 5 types, as follows:
- Herbaceous perennials: include grasses and weeds that grow in the wild and are exposed to fire.
- Woody perennials: include vines, shrubs, and giant, towering trees that need several years to grow completely and live all over the world.
- Monocarp perennials: These include plants that take more than a year to bloom and produce seeds, but die immediately after completing their maturity.
- Deciduous perennials: include plants whose leaves fall every autumn.
- Evergreen perennials: These include plants that keep their leaves throughout their long lives, even in autumn and winter.
Comparison of annuals and perennials in terms of care
Annual plants need some care to maintain their appearance and prosperity, as they must constantly get rid of their dead flowers so that the plant can produce new flowers and remain prosperous throughout the season, and they need to supply their soil with a slow-release organic fertilizer when grown only, except for plants grown in containers, every two weeks they need soluble fertilizer to maintain their colors, as well as need constant irrigation because their shallow roots need water constantly, and must be irrigated by drip or water directed to the soil level, avoiding upper irrigation that hurts its flowers.
While perennial plants need to be irrigated and fed regularly to meet their nutritional needs, need to remove their dead flowers and heads in order to produce new flowers, need additional protection by trimming and covering them in autumn and removing the lid in spring, or alternatively, their leaves can be left to protect them from moisture and to provide them with insulation during winter, and then get rid of their dead leaves in spring.
Annual plants have three main species, including cold annuals that thrive on cold days, summer annuals that thrive on hot days, semi-hardy annuals that withstand different temperatures, and several different forms such as agricultural crops, ornamental flowers, and weeds, and because they are annual plants and their roots are shallow, they need regular irrigation, and removal their dead flowers constantly to remain prosperous throughout the season.
Perennials include five main species, namely; herbaceous, wooden, monocarp, deciduous and evergreen perennial plants, which are therefore in various forms such as trees, woody shrubs, and sub-shrubs, and because they are perennial plants that need constant trimming and removal of their dead heads and flowers, in addition to protecting them during autumn and winter.
Do annuals and perennial plants need to be replaced every year?
Annual plants need to be replaced every year, they are less than a year old, completing their entire life cycle during one season, then their roots die and their leaves, flowers, and stems fall, and sometimes their seeds remain and carried to germinate the following spring so that the plant can grow again, and one of the biggest benefits of annual plants is that they are delightful and bright floral plants that last all summer, and the appearance of the garden can be changed by changing it annually and planting new and different plants every year,
Perennial plants do not need to be replaced every year, as they can grow for many years according to plant type and winter conditions, and only the top of them die on the ground and their roots live during the winter to grow again the following spring and grow again, so the perennial plant’s benefits are that they do not need to be replanted and can be designed for a garden for a long period of time.
