Compared to annuals, perennials require less work because they grow back every year. These types of plants go dormant in the winter, but their roots remain alive in the ground. Come next season, the plants grow again from these roots. This growth will occur in either summer, spring, or fall, depending on the plant.
Conversely, annuals, as the name suggests, grow for only a single season. While they do produce more flowers and are in bloom longer than most perennials, the roots of annuals die with the rest of the plant at the first frost. This means gardeners must replant annuals every year, or fill in that space with another plant.
It’s also important to note that perennials have specific climate zones in which they thrive. With annuals temperature is less critical. Rather, they are divided into two main categories - cold and warm-weather annuals. Warm-season plants flourish in late spring, summer, and early fall, so they must be planted before the cold season. Cold-weather annuals can continue to bloom throughout winter in mild-winter areas.
Further, annuals require many more nutrients than perennials, due to their rapid growth and their need to produce many more seeds in order to reproduce.
