The Perennial Plant – What does it mean?

Perennials are a common question which comes up from a lot of amateur gardeners in the UK, due to the ill-understanding of what ‘perennial’ actually means.

A perennial plant, or sometimes just referred to as a perennial is a plant which only lives for more than two years at a time, and then dies. This term is often used in the gardening industry to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials which are also common in the bulb / flower industry due to the vivacious colours that these types of flowers see.

Perennials are typically small flowering plants which tend to bloom (blossom) over spring and the summer, when there is maximum sunlight exposure and photosynthesis. However, depending on the local climate, some perennials actually like to be in the cold, wet and damp environments (similar to the UK) so it truly depends on the type of perennial which is the question at hand.