In this post we’re going to look at the different types of flowers there are, based on life cycles. If you’re an experienced flower grower, this most likely won’t be new information. But if you’re a beginner or if you have never grown flowers from seed before you might find it useful.
Flower Life Cycles
With flowers, there are 3 different life cycle types. They are annual, biennial and perennial. This classification describes how long the plant will live for.
Annual Flowers
- Annual flowers complete their life cycle in one growing season.
- In that year their seeds will be planted, the plants grow, flower, produce seeds and then die off.
- Some examples of annual flowers are Marigolds, cornflowers, sunflowers.
- Some annual flowers are often mistaken for perennials, as they often grow back in the same place every year. However, each year these flowers come back, they are brand new plants that have grown naturally from the seeds that fell off the previous year's plants at the end of their life cycle.
- Our annual flower seed collection can be seen here.
Biennial Flowers:
- Biennial flowers take two years to complete their life cycle.
- In the first year they grow leaves and store energy. Occasionally they can produce flowers in their first year if they are sown really early in the year under protection.
- In the second year, their flowers bloom, produce seeds, and then die.
- Similarly to annuals, biennials can often self seed themselves and grow back in the same place each year naturally.
- Some examples of biennial flowers are Foxgloves, Mullein and Sweet William. You’ll find them here.
Perennial Flowers:
- Perennial flowers live for an undetermined period of time, but for at least more than 2 years. Without the exception of extreme weather, disease or attacks from pests, they should come back and flower every year.
- Similarly to biennials, in the first year they grow leaves and store energy. Occasionally they can produce flowers in their first year if they are sown really early in the year under protection.
- In most cases, in the second year (some can take longer), their flowers bloom, produce seeds, and then become dormant over Winter. This should be the case each year in future unless for an exceptional circumstance like mentioned above.
- Some examples of perennial flowers are Echinacea, Lupins and Lavender.
- Our perennial flower seed collection can be viewed here.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Annual flowers are quick and easy to grow. They generally bloom for a long period throughout the whole Summer. They can fill space and provide colour in a flower bed quickly. Annual flowers may self seed themselves and come back year after year but it is not guaranteed, you may have to plant seeds each year to ensure that they come back.
Perennial flowers once established should come back and flower each year. Their seeds can be trickier to germinate, and it is best to care for young plants to help them establish, which takes time. However this initial time investment is paid back through years of flowering. Perennial flowers are also generally low maintenance.
Flower Mixes
For a quick and easy burst of colour in an area of the garden, flower mixes are a good option, we have two different types available. May is a great time to plant them, they should begin to germinate within days after planting.
You can view the mixes here. They are annual flower seed mixes.
Conclusion
Hopefully you might have found this interesting. If you’re in need of any flower seed, our full flower seed collection can be viewed here.
