Annual usage includes borders and edgings, foliage, fragrance, fences or cut flowers. They brighten rock gardens and windowsills. Some thrive in hot sunlight, others in shade, and still others in water. Perennials form wonderful backgrounds for showier annuals, extend groundcover on banks and terraces, and furnish fragrant cut flowers. Some can thrive in any light or soil type.
Blooms appear in early summer, midsummer, late summer or early fall.
Some supply berries to nourish our feathered friends that do not migrate south for the winter. The bright colors of early spring bulbs gladden hearts and reassure that winter really will not last forever. For the gardener who prefers starting his own plants, the timing for flowers is about the same as for vegetables. Seeds can be started indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, hardened off, and then planted outside after the last spring frost. A coldframe could also be utilized.