Aha hyperart---it has to do with where you live.

Blooms in the spring in other parts of the country but your fall and winter weather is much like the spring in colder zones. Plant breeders are not going to manufacture plant tags for hotter regions when most of their customers live where they are relevent.

A blooms in the spring tag usually means that the plant likes cooler weather and in all likelyhood will not freeze with a light frost and will usually fade or die in hot temperatures.

in between annuals and perennials are biennials ....

grow the green stuff the first season.. then bloom and die the second ... and sometimes have tags that simply call them annuals ...

all you need from the tag is the latin name.. and then the research begins ...

in my area.. some pansy can winter over ... and then kinda poop out next summer ... and they are planted in fall for a nice spring show ...

mums are the classic example ... they go from annual to perennial .. in a sense.. the fastest growing ones are warm zone plants.. but because they grow so fast.. and are propagated easily and sold cheap in fall for some fast flash ... but will not winter over in the great white north ..

other mums ... are fully hardy up north ...

one thing that you should know.. is that a lot of annuals are actually long lived perennials ... IN THE RAIN FOREST ... but we bring them up into the cold white north .... and enjoy them as annuals ... e.g. 4 o'clocks ... marvel of peru ....

for a newbie ... just plant everything.. and try to keep a journal .. and find out what works for you ...

one trick.. next spring.. is to join a local garden club.. and visit local peeps.. who know what works near you ... and if you get a personal visit.. and bring goodies.. you will likely leave with a trunk full of gift plants ...

the wwweb is a wonderful resource.. but it is outshined by all the little old ladies who live in your area ...

good luck

ken

We could give you much better information if we knew your general location. That goes for any question you may have for us here in the Gardenweb. But oilpainter and ken have steered you in the right direction.

In warmer climates, fall is a BIG bedding plant season. You'll find the gardencenters full of such things as petunias, pansies, sweet alyssum, snapdragons, marigolds, wax begonias, zinnias, ageratum, and more! (I know, I know...some of them are perennials but grown as annuals in many parts of the world.)

Even in my location, pansies are planted in the fall for all winter color. ;-)

Great explanations and advice..

If HD (not Lowes) sells you an annual in the fall knowing full well that it will die at the first frost, no biggy, it is guaranteed a year. If it dies, take it back.
At least at my store; check yours.
Same with perennials. HD is good that way.