Doing homework on different plants you might want in your garden will save money, time and heartache. If immediate beauty is desired, then annual plants might be the route to take. They obtain their full size and color fairly quickly, you get immediate results and you feel good about yourself. But annuals only last for a year and then have to reseed, whether by hand or by nature. For longer-term gardening success, Lisa Pierson, manager of Worm's Way Garden Center, says perennials are more tolerant of local weather hazards than many annuals.
Perennials take longer to grow, though.
May warns the ground will be pretty bare where perennials are planted for the first year. But for those who are going in for perennials, May's main caveat concerned the planting. They become a lot bigger than the plant that you buy. These Pink Wave Petunias at Mays Greenhouse are good annuals for gardeners. One is installing an irrigation system.