With the winter chills finally gone, it’s time to start figuring out how to spruce up your landscape for spring. Planting new flowers is a great way to brush off the cold season and brighten up your lawn. However, deciding whether you want to add some annuals, perennials, or both can be tricky. Use this guide to figure out which type is best for your needs and where to plant them around your home. 

What Are the Differences Between Annuals & Perennials?

While annual flowers only last a single season, perennials will grow back year after year. However, if you have bare spots on your landscape that you want to cover up quickly, annuals might be the better pick. They can be planted after the final frost of the season and will provide lush color until the end of summer or even well into fall. 

Perennials should also be planted after the last frost, but many will not produce blooms for the first year—sometimes longer. Even then, the blooms tend to only last for four to six weeks.

To make up for it, though, these plants require less maintenance than annuals. After they’ve been in the ground for at least four years, you can divide them up to make more flowers for your yard. 

With annuals, you’ll have to replant every year, which also includes reworking the soil. Despite the extra work, these plants tend to cost less. 

Where Should You Plant Annuals & Perennials?

Perennials can be planted practically anywhere around your landscape. They can be used as border flowers along walkways, to cover the soil in places where the grass doesn’t grow well, and to fill out garden spaces.

Just make sure to choose perennials that match your plant hardiness zone and the amount of sunlight available in the designated spot. 

Annuals are often referred to as “bedding plants” because they are sold in packs, which allow homeowners to create instant colorful flower planting beds. You can typically find these beds running along the driveway or roadway. Annual packs will consist of popular options like marigolds, blue ageratum, celosia, impatiens, and petunias. 

When you want to spruce up your landscape with a nice mix of annual and perennial flowers, speak with the team at Wilson Garden Center Inc. Landscaping & Tree Service in Hamilton, OH. For over 30 years, they have been Butler County’s complete solution for gardening and landscape design. They carry a wide range of gardening equipment and supplies, including a fully stocked nursery. Visit their website to learn more about their products and services, and give them a call today at (513) 863-5831 with any questions.