Garden Flowers

Garden flowers have all been developed from wild plants. Often, however, cultivation has changed them until they bear little resemblance to their ancestors. Although many kinds of flowering plants are grown in gardens, the term “garden flower” usually refers to the herbaceous flowering plants. (A notable exception is the rose, which is a shrub.) Herbaceous plants, or herbs, do not have a long-lasting woody stem as do shrubs and trees, but die down to the ground in winter.

Herbaceous plants are often classified as annuals, biennials, and perennials.

live only one year. They are grown from seed, usually in the spring, and die in the fall. Annuals include sweet peas, zinnias, petunias, marigolds, nasturtiums, and corn poppies.

are also grown from seed, but take two years to complete their life cycle. They produce roots and leaves the first year, flowers and seeds the second year. Pansies, tiger lilies, and valerians are examples of biennials.

are plants that live for more than two years and are renewed each spring from hardy roots or from underground stems (rhizomes). The iris, peony, phlox, chrysanthemum, and carnation are examples of perennials. Plants grown from bulbs and corms (bulblike stems) live for more than two years, but are not usually classed with other perennials. They include the narcissus, tulip, crocus, and hyacinth.

For planning and care,