What are perennials and how do they differ to annuals and biennials?

Annuals have a life cycle of one growing season.  These plants will usually germinate from seed early spring and with a bit of warmth will grow, maturing quickly. Most produce flowers from early summer right through until late autumn before turning to seed and dying, many are also frost tender and will die when the first frosts of the season arrive.  The best example of annual plants are the bedding plants often used in hanging baskets, pots and summer borders e.g. Petunia, Lobelia, Marigold, Impatiens, Bacopa and Verbena, producing outstanding colour throughout the warmer summer months.
 
Biennials have a life cycle of two growing seasons. Like annuals they will generally be produced from seed, germinating early spring, producing flowers from early summer.  They will die back after the first frost of the season and then lay dormant until early spring they will then produce one more flowering season before going to seed and dying. Example of biennials include most native wildflowers, some herbs e.g parsley, angelica, caraway and biannual herbaceous perennials such as foxglove, primula and dianthus.
 
Perennials are the gift that keep giving! Under the right growing conditions, perennials will produce fabulous flowers and foliage year after year. Most are summer flowering waking each season from their winter slumber in early spring before producing a wonderful display of colour whether stunning flower or exquisite foliage. There are some early flowering varieties and also winter flowering varieties such as Helleborus, which offer a welcome splash of colour through the darker colder months when colour in the garden is at a premium. If planned correctly a perennial border can produce colour and points of interest all year round. Many varieties of perennials suitable for growing in pots are ideal for container planting in small gardens or simply jotted around a patio and balconies. Perennials are also easy to propagate and at the correct time of can be split and planted elsewhere in the garden or containers. 

Outdoor area with shrubs, perennials, ferns, grasses and flowers