Annual Plants

Learn about annual plants and other types of annuals, including herb annuals, annuals for shade, and annuals for sun.

Annual garden flowers and herbs are plants that will complete their life cycle in only one growing season.

This means that they will germinate, grow foliage, set seed and die all withing the course of a year.

Perennial Herbs last longer than annuals and are usually able to grow and re-grow for more than two years.

Both perennials and annuals clearly have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of growing annuals include:

• - Annuals bloom for a longer period of time, giving you more time to enjoy their beauty.
• - Growing annuals give you more flexibility when deciding what to grow from year to year.
• - Annuals do not require much pruning because they will die within the year.
• - These herbs are often more flavorful than their perennial counterparts.

Disadvantages of growing annuals include:

• - Annuals require more work and maintenance than perennials.
• - It costs more to grow annuals, because you have to plant new plants every year.
• - Annual herbs are weaker than perennials and rely mainly on stem and leaf growth.

By taking a closer look at these advantages and disadvantages, it will be much easier to choose which ones to grow in your garden.

Choosing Your Annual Plants

Before you go out and buy your annual plants, be sure they will grow in the plant hardiness zone you are located in.

Annuals will not have a plant hardiness zone because they will die within the year. However they still require certain weather conditions, so I still recommend finding out what your zone is. It may not be a good idea to plant basil which prefers warmer conditions, in one of the cooler zones.

I've taken the liberty of reducing some of your workload by listing some of the more popular annual herbs.

Please click on the herb's individual link for instructions on how to grow and care for that particular herb.

• 1. Basil is a must in any herb garden! It is most commonly used in Italian dishes.


• 2. Borage has many natural healing properties and is also used in culinary dishes.


• 3. Chamomile has a soothing quality and is commonly used to help with insomnia.


• 4. Cilantro has a very distinct taste and has many uses in Mexican foods.


• 5. Coriander is actually the seeds of the cilantro plant and is also considered a plant.


• 6. Dill is an herb that has been used for centuries and is great on fresh salmon.


• 7. Parsley has a fresh taste and is commonly used as a garnish.

Growing Your Annual Plants

You may not even know this, but a lot of gardeners will grow some perennial and biennial herbs as annuals. Biennial and annual herbs may be short lived, but they are often more tasty, more delicately scented and flavored than many perennial herbs.

Some examples of this are basil, parsley, coriander (also known as cilantro), dill, fennel, and summer savory. I'm sure you already know, but these herbs can add a wonderful flavor to your favorite recipes.

Some annual plants will grow well in containers, giving you lots of flexibility when deciding where you want to plant your herbs. This gives you the added flexibility of growing them indoors if you so choose.

Other annual herbs such as dill, fennel, and coriander are much too large to be grown indoors, so more thought will be needed in planning their growing location.

Most gardeners (myself included) like to grow a mixture of perennial and annual herbs; just remember that the annuals must be replaced whereas the perennials should be left to grow another year.

If you want to extend the season for your annual herbs, during the first week of August sow a few seeds in a large container and water them well. Due to the summer heat and long days, they will grow very fast and require some thinning.

You'll want to choose several strong plants and then throw out the rest. In mid September bring the pots indoors and place in an area that receives lots of sunlight.

Only harvest the leaves as needed, but not too much at once or you can hurt the plant.

All annual plants are different and will need unique soil and lighting requirements. Whether or not you decide to plant a annual or perennial herb garden is really a matter of preference. However, you need to make sure the herbs you choose will compliment each other and have the same growing requirements.