Understanding Plant Life Cycles Will Help Boost Your Garden: Here's How

When you start thinking about the plants you want in your garden in 2023, it's important to understand the life cycle of plants. All plants are classified according to the number of growing seasons they need to complete their life cycle.

Annuals

These are plants that provide continuous blooms and interest throughout the growing season. Annuals take a year to complete their life cycle.

Usually planted in spring or early summer, they last all season and then (unfortunately) die as soon as the first frosts arrive. Most vegetables are annuals, along with flowers such as epithene and marigold.

Start planning your garden now, here's how to get started

Gardening tip : How to get the best African violet flowers.

biennale

The Biennale can be confusing. They need a dormant period caused by low temperatures between plant growth and flowering.

Biennial species are planted in spring, producing leaves in the first year and flowers in the second year. If you don't cut them down and discard the seeds, they can sometimes be two years old as perennials. Mallows and digitalis are examples of biennials.

If you do not want to give up such a plant, it is important to understand the two-year life cycle.

for many years

These plants come back year after year depending on their hardiness zone. In central New York we are in zone 4 or 5 depending on where you are.

Perennial species are also classified as "grasses" or "forests". Note that the tops of vegetable plants die back for the winter, but the roots and crowns of the plant remain alive during the dormant period. These plants will bloom again next spring.

And the growth of trees does not die in autumn. They shed their leaves, but only the root remains. It takes three seasons to reach maximum size and benefit from most perennials.

Other plant classifications exist, including bulbs, tubers, corms, or rhizomes. Understanding plant life cycles can help you choose the best options for your garden. Browsing plant catalogs will introduce you to plant categories. Even if you don't order from them, the catalogs will give you an idea of which plants belong to which categories.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County answers home and garden questions by emailing homeandgarden@cornell.edu or calling 315-736-3394, pressing 1 and answering further. 333. Leave your question, name and phone number. Answers to questions are accepted on weekdays from 8:00 to 16:00. Alternatively, visit our website at cceoneida.com or call 315-736-3394, press 1 followed by extension 100.

This article originally appeared on the Observer-Dispatch website: Gardening Tip: How Understanding Plant Life Cycles Can Help Your Garden