Many gardeners wonder “do perennials come back?” The short answer is yes. Flowers, like all plants, return to the garden year after year, sometimes in an attempt to escape from the harsh elements of winter. Some perennials return because their seed was stolen in the spring, while others come back because they were hurt or killed by deer or other animals. In other words, perennials are trying to get out of the way so they can live another year.

Of course, there are many factors that go into whether a perennial will ever come back in a landscape flower garden. For instance, a perennial that was planted six months ago and just started to bloom may not bloom again for several years. While this is a possibility with annuals, many perennials that have been around for more than twenty years may not flower again until the following year. On the flip side, however, some perennial flowers such as the daffodil can last for years, and then bloom again right away, and then last for several more years, and then bloom again.

Other factors include how far away the flower grows. A flower that is just a few feet away from your home will most likely not come back the next year, while one that is three hundred feet away might be a perennial. As an example, the Japanese maple is very popular as a landscape flower, but it will not bloom again until you are at least three hundred feet away. At that point it will still be growing strong, and it will be possible to enjoy its flowers the entire summer. If you are farther away, it’s wise to remove it before winter sets in.

Do perennials really cost more to maintain than annuals? Actually, they are less expensive to keep alive, and therefore require less of your time and attention. Annual flowers, such as roses, can easily be tended to with a quick dusting or two each week. Perennials, such as the Japanese maple, need to be trimmed often, and you should be ready to give them a trim every six to twelve weeks during the growing season.

Why do some perennials last for years, and yet their cousins, the annuals, only last for a short period? One of the reasons is that perennials are often created in the wild by a variety of flowers that were able to survive the changing seasons when there were fewer flowers to create new plants. That’s why, in many climates, a perennial flower garden will be able to thrive even when it is barely one-year-old. That’s also why you’ll often find some varieties of perennials, such as the marigolds in a container garden, which have been created over many years.

Another reason why do perennials come back? It has to do with the way they interact with each other. For instance, some perennials come back because they are a good neighbor for another plant that needs to have a companion plant, while other perennials don’t do well or look good with anyone else.

The best way to get perennials to come back is to plant flowers that are good neighbors to each other. One example is to plant marigolds alongside your perennials, in order to give them each a bit of shade and shelter from the sun. Also, be careful about planting things too close together-perennials don’t do well if planted next to each other. For example, if you’re planting a bed of daffodils, dahlias, or any other flowers that grow very tall, you shouldn’t plant those same flowers next to perennials that grow lower, like lavender or bluebells.

How many times do perennials come back? You can rest assured that when you next plan to plant a flower, it will come back the following year. The reason is that as long as you plant the proper flowers next to one another, that perennial will be there. One thing you can do to ensure a return trip is to always plant flowers that are at least three inches tall next to one another-plants with tall, wide roots spread out towards the middle of the garden will likely not do well if planted against a wall. Finally, remember that perennials come back!