Annual plants
Plants that perform their entire life cycle from seed to flower
Annual Plains Coreopsis
to seed within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves of the plant die annually. Only the dormant seed bridges the gap between one generation and the next.
Biennial plants
Plants which require two years to complete their life cycle.
Perennial Plants
Plants that persist for many growing seasons. Generally, the top portion of the plant dies back each winter and regrows the following spring
Perennial Purple Coneflower
from the same root system (e.g. Purple Coneflower). Many perennial plants do keep their leaves year-round and offer attractive borders and groundcover (e.g. Tickseed, Shasta and Ox-Eyed Daisy).
See also