If you are new to gardening, this question pops up more than you might think.
Here are the common definitions, from shortest-lived to longest-lived:
- Annual
- An annual is a plant that will germinate, flower, spread seeds, and die within one year. They typically are prolific re-seeders since they only have one year to pass on their genetics.
- Examples include: Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
- Biennial
- Some plants will germinate one year but not start flowering and spreading seeds til the next. These are biennial plants. Many of them have “basal foliage” (meaning they may have leaves near the ground) the first year, but they do not send up stems. Biennials typically will die completely after the second year.
- Examples include: Lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora), Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Short-lived perennial
- Plants that don’t live more than 3 – 4 years are considered a short-lived perennial. However, many self-seed and will still pop up in your garden over the years.
- Examples include: Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Perennial
- Plants that live more than a few years are considered a perennial. Nearly all woody plants (trees, shrubs) fall into this category as well as many herbaceous plants. Herbaceous plants may die back to the ground each year, just leaving the root system intact before the next year’s growth. Most ephemerals are also perennials – they just die back to the ground sooner than most other plants.