What are annual, biennial, and perennial plants?

Not all plants have the same lifespan, some are perennial, others complete their life cycle in a few months or even a few weeks. It is sometimes difficult to find your way around, which is why we explain each type below: Annual plants: Annual plants complete their vegetative cycle (from germination to death) in less than a year (e.g., poppy). Biennial plants: Biennials complete the first part of their cycle in the first year, survive the winter thanks to buds located at ground level and then complete their cycle in the second year (e.g., wild carrot, wild parsnip, etc.). In other words, the plant will develop a vegetative system (roots, stems, leaves) and then go dormant during the cold months. Often the stem remains short and the leaves are close to the ground. The following spring/summer, the stem of the plant grows strongly and the plant goes to seed. Flowers and fruits are produced and then the plant dies. Biennial plants are often grown for their flowers because they bloom early in the season, in autumn and winter (pansies etc.). Biennials grown as annuals: In the case of vegetable plants (carrots, parsnips, parsley, beetroot etc.) cultivation is generally carried out as if they were annual plants, cultivation being continued in the second year only in the case of seed-bearing plants for seed production. Perennial plants: Plants that live more than two years in place are called perennials or perennials. They reproduce by seeds or vegetative propagation. The organ that survives during the winter can be a bulb, roots containing reserves, tubers, rhizomes. Perennial plants grown as annuals: Some perennials are only grown in climatic conditions adapted to their original habitat. Thus, perennial plants of tropical origin can only be grown in temperate or cold climates as annual plants. (e.g., dandelion in the vegetable garden, we sow it, we harvest the leaves but we do not leave the crop in place for the following year. We turn the crop over to destroy it.