The Importance of Annual and Perennial Wildflowers

Understanding the life cycle of your wildflowers is an important step toward growing a meadow successfully! Annual and  Perennial wildflowers have different timelines for growth and flowering. Read on to learn about each type of wildflower, and how they can work together to create a thriving garden or meadow.

Definitions Of Annual and Perennial Life Cycles

• Annuals have a one year life cycle, and bloom just weeks after planting to provide bright color in the first season. They grow quickly, and die at the end of their first year. Under the right conditions, annual wildflowers regrow each year by reseeding; some annuals reseed and spread more readily than others.

• Perennials return year after year, blooming in the second season and for many years to come. They grow more slowly, and in the first season focus most energy on establishing strong roots, so they typically don't bloom until their second year. Each year, they die back over winter, and return from the same roots, forming larger plants and more colorful flowers each year. Some perennials are longer-lived than others. 

• Biennials are much less common, but still worth mentioning! These plants have a two-year life cycle, growing foliage and roots in the first season, and blooming only in the second season. Some biennials may reseed and return in your garden or meadow.

When you plant the seed of an annual, normally it's up and growing in a week or less. In ideal conditions, many annual wildflowers will bloom in as little as 6 weeks. Most annual flower plants will be full grown and in full bloom within 3 months.

Perennials planted in spring or summer will typically only grow leaves before winter. These plants are establishing root growth during their entire first growing season -- after all, these root systems are going to have to survive through the winter, unlike annuals! A seed of a daisy, for example, will grow only 2-to-3-inch leaves near the ground its first year. Then, when spring arrived in the second year, it bounds out of the ground with big glossy leaves and stalks with beautiful flowers up to 24" tall! 

Blooming Seasons For Established Plants

What most gardeners are looking for in their wildflower meadow: color that lasts as long as possible!

• The average Annual flower blooms for 2 to 3 months.
• The average perennial flower plant blooms for 2 to 3 weeks.

When comparing individual plants, in the course of one season, Annual wildflowers add longer-lasting color than perfectly grown, mature Perennial wildflowers. Perennials mature into larger groupings of flowers each year, however, they are typically in bloom for less time than annuals.

How Annuals and Perennials Work Together

We almost always recommend planting a mix of Annual and Perennial wildflowers together for a colorful, low-maintenance meadow.

Annual wildflowers deliver bold and colorful blooms the first year. However, Annuals are there for more than color! Since the Perennials in the mix make very small growth in the first season, the Annual plants fill in your meadow in the first season, warding off weeds during the first year. (After all, anywhere you leave open soil, nature will quickly plant a weed.)

Then during your second spring, the Annual wildflowers that filled the spaces are gone, and the Perennials are ready to burst into large plants, filling in the spaces saved for them. (You may see some Annuals reseed in your meadow and bloom in the second or subsequent seasons.) 

Over time, if you want to layer in additional color, you always have the option to plant new Annual wildflower seeds into your established perennial meadow or garden.

Finding The Perfect Mix

That's where we can help! American Meadows has become famous for our wildflower seed mixes. With more than 35 years of experience, we carefully craft our wildflower seed mixes to make it easy for you to grow a wildflower meadow that offers season-long color, year after year. 

There are many factors to consider when creating or choosing, a wildflower seed mix. A fine wildflower seed mix is artfully blended to bloom over the entire growing season, from spring to fall. Even better, since no one is cutting back dying flowers, a carefully crafted mix will include various species that bloom roughly from shortest flowers to tallest; that way, new, fresh, taller flowers will cover the fading shorter flowers as the meadow evolves through the year. Furthermore, most gardeners are looking for a wildflower meadow that can be planted once and offer colorful flowers for years to come! 

The majority of our wildflower seed mixes include a balance of annual, perennial, and biennial wildflower varieties to take advantage of the benefits of each type of plant.

Some gardeners prefer to plant Annual widlflowers each season. Planting an Annual wildflower seed mix ensures a meadow bursting with colorful fresh flowers all season long! Annual wildflowers are a great choice for cut flowers, too, since their flowers are long-lived. Cutting often encourages more blooms! Planting individual annual wildflowers each year also gives you the freedom to experiment with new flower varieties each year. What gardener doesn't thrill to a shimmering sheet of color like the show of bright red poppies, or a dazzling drift of deep blue cornflowers? In late summer and fall, what gardener doesn't love to see flowers like wild cosmos tall and beautiful, waving in the wind? Learn More: Creating Temporary Gardens With Annual Wildflowers

Original Ray Allen Content:

At American Meadows, between our people and online resources, we have been helping, literally, millions of meadow gardeners for over 20 years. And there are about 5 critical subjects that everyone needs to understand fully to maximize the pleasure from a wildflower meadow.