Walk into any garden store and you may notice something: Most plants are divided into two groups, annuals and perennials. So what's the difference between the two? Is one better than the other? And with so many different kinds of flowers, how on Earth do you pick any?
The main difference between the two groups are as follows: Perennials usually come back every spring or summer without having to be replanted. Annuals usually die once temperatures drop in the fall or winter. There are some exceptions -- an annual in a cooler region may be a perennial in a warmer region. Plants come with tags that tell you what to expect.
Something else to keep in mind is that annuals work best in planters, flower boxes, and border flower beds. Perennials are for big spaces -- your larger flower beds. Because they come back every year, they'll usually keep getting larger and larger.
Here are a few of our favorites -- the easiest to care for -- from each.
Images ©iStock.com/cjp (top) and ©iStock.com/danishkhan (bottom)