Collection: Annie's Annuals - Perennials Collection

Perennial plants live for more than two growing seasons. If properly cared for, they will return year after year with consistent bloom times to add color and diversity to your garden.

The key difference between annuals and perennials is their lifespan. Annuals live for one growing season, although some of our annual plants do re-seed, thereby prolonging their benefits past a single season. Perennial plants and perennial flowers remain in the garden to bloom year after year. Another difference is that true annuals will bloom throughout the entire season; whereas, perennials may bloom intermittently during or between seasons.

Perennial plants and flowers provide lasting beauty and structure to your garden. They have specific seasonal bloom times that remain consistent year after year, ensuring vibrant color for your garden throughout the seasons. Perennials also contribute to biodiversity and help the overall environment. Their deep root systems help prevent soil erosion and retain nutrients, while also sequestering carbon. Planting lots of different perennials with varied bloom times ensures consistent, reliable food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial wildlife.

The ideal time to plant perennials is spring or early fall. This allows them to establish their root system before the more extreme weather of winter or summer.

In general, Perennials need watering, occasional fertilization, and deadheading to encourage repeat blooming. The specific care needs can vary by type. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer many native and low water, low-maintenance perennials to make planting and caring for them easy. We want to make gardening success attainable for everyone.

Yes! Many perennial plants grow very well in containers as well as in garden beds. Just make sure your pot size is adequate for the root system of your particular plant.

Some perennials prefer full sun, which typically means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Other varieties require full or partial shade. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer you many options for both shade and sun plants to fit every gardening need.

Yes! Perennials, with their reliable bloom times, are valuable additions to a pollinator-friendly garden. Their pollen and nectar provide consistent food sources for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while their seeds, leaves, and branches can provide food, shelter, and nesting material for other beneficial wildlife. Planting many different perennials with varied bloom times will attract and feed pollinators throughout all of the seasons.

Some common perennials include Yarrow, (Achillea millefolium), African daisies (Arctotis), Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii), Campanula, Dahlia, Delphiniums, Roses (Rosa), Irises, and Coneflowers (Echinacea). We offer a large variety of perennials – including cottage garden classics and unusual and hard-to-find varieties.

Hardy perennials are perennial plants that grow for multiple seasons and can survive cold weather and grow well in USDA growing zones below 8 that experience freezes or snow. Before selecting a perennial plant for your garden, it is important to know your USDA growing zone and select plants that are appropriate for those planting zones.

Yes, if planted and cared for properly, perennials will live and rebloom year after year. We offer a large variety of perennials to suit every garden style, including many that are easy to grow and easy to care for, making them perfect options for beginning gardeners.

Flowering Perennials: Are known for vibrant, consistent and long-lasting blooms. Examples include coneflowers (Echinacea), Abutilon, Alstroemeria, African daisy (Arctotis), foxgloves (Digitalis pupurea), carnations (Dianthus), geraniums, sages (Salvia), strawflowers (Helichrysum), hollyhocks and impatiens, among many others.

Foliage Perennials: Are known for their striking, colorful foliage. Hostas, heucheras, and ornamental grasses are some common varieties.

Ground Cover Perennials: Like sedums, some geraniums, lobelia, and lippia can cover large areas, suppress weeds, and add texture to the garden floor.

Shade-Loving Perennials: Thrive in low-light or partial shade conditions. Some of our favorite shade perennials at Annie’s are begonias, fuchsias, sedges, hellebores, heucheras, and impatiens.

Sun-loving perennials: Thrive in full sun conditions (meaning full sun for at least 6 hours per day). Some common examples of sun-loving perennials are lavender (Lavandula), sage (Salvia), African daisy (Arctotis), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). We offer many sun-loving perennials – suited for a variety of growing zones, including California native perennials and hard-to-find varieties.

Herbaceous Perennials: These are perennial plants that die back to the ground each fall or winter, but whose roots remain alive. They send up new growth and reemerge in the spring or summer. Herbaceous perennials include a variety of flowers and foliage, like columbines (Aquilegia), delphiniums, foxglove (Digitalis pupurea), and Iris.

Woody Perennials: These are shrubs and small trees that persist for many years, bringing useful structure and seasonal blooms to your garden. Examples include hydrangeas, California lilac (Ceanothus), fuchsias, and butterfly bushes (Buddleja).

Native Perennials: are well-suited to specific regions and often need less maintenance and human intervention. California native plant species might include yarrow (Achillea), California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), milkweed (Asclepias), monkey flowers (Mimulus), and some sages (Salvias), depending on your location. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer one of the largest selections of CA native perennials to be found anywhere.

Long-Blooming Perennials: Have extended blooming periods and can include varieties like Alstroemeria, flowering maples (Abutilons), African daisies (Actotis), Agastache, coreopsis, yarrow (Achillea), and sages (Salvias).

Drought-Tolerant Perennials: Can withstand periods of dry conditions and need less watering. Examples include lavender (Lavandula), yarrow (Achillea), stonecrops (Sedum), Agastache, Aloe, milkweed (Asclepias), and some sages (Salvias).

Deer-resistant Perennials: Have characteristics that make them less appealing to deer. Options include yarrow (Achillea), lambs' ears (Stachys byzantine), Agastache, and some ornamental sages (Salvia).

Perennial Bulbs: Some perennials grow from bulbs, including favorites like tulips, daffodils, freesias, ranunculus, and irises. They return year after year, adding color to your garden each spring.

Climbing Perennials: Perennial vines like clematis and wisteria add vertical interest to your garden, climbing trellises, arbors, and fences.