It's an "annual" that has a chance of making it through the winter in some places.

Chili peppers, for example, are "hardy annuals" in Phoenix but not in Albuquerque

I have seen Dusty Miller survive the winter. I guess that is also a hardy annual. (Corrected)

Curious though, is an annual limited by temperature tolerance or does it have a default life span even if taken care of adequately?

TTKMAWAN

This post was edited by Emerogork2 on Sun, Dec 7, 14 at 11:53

My understanding of the term 'hardy' annual is a true annual which can be sown outdoors, eg cornflowers, flax etc. For us over here that excludes things like Begonias, Impatiens, Tagetes, etc which have to be started indoors if they are to flower in time before the winter. We call them tender annuals.

This usage of the term doesn't include things which are botanically speaking perennial and might make it through a mild winter.

Strictly, and botanically, speaking a true annual has a finite lifespan of one season in which it can grow from seed, flower and set seed of its own after which it will die. However well a true annual is cared for it will remain an annual.

However, the word 'annual' often used just to mean plants which are too tender to survive a winter. Pelargoniums, for example, are often referred to as 'annuals' by gardeners in cold climates but they are not.

Dusty Miller is a perennial that is often grown AS an annual. It's all pretty confusing, lol.

The term 'hardy annual' refers to those true annuals that can be sown in the fall for spring flowering. They are likely to be those plants that self sow on their own. Tender or half hardy annuals need to be planted or sown outside after the last frost date in the spring....or started inside as floral mentioned.

By the way, begonias and impatiens are tender perennials typically grown as annuals. See how confusing?

In practice, many tender annuals like marigolds (Tagetes) and zinnias are often sown directly into the ground in the spring. Others need the winter chilling as seed in order to germinate abundantly.

All peppers and tomatoes are, botanically speaking, true perennials (tender perennials), but are grown AS annuals by the vast majority.

Whether or not a plant is a true annual, perennial, or biennial is a function of its genetics and has nothing to do with climate. How we use the plants are determined by our seasonal temperatures in relation to the individual needs of the plant. But our use doesn't change the genetic makeup of any plant.

In other words, botanically speaking, a true perennial is always a perennial, no matter where it's being grown. And we can keep some annuals going by not allowing them to go to seed and protecting them from the cold.

Just to add to the confusion the term means different things in different climates. The examples rhizo_1 gives of Tagetes and Zinnias being sown outdoors in parts of the US would not work here. Temperatures are not high enough for them to germinate outdoors until far too late in the summer for them to manage to flower before the winter. The optimum temp for germinating Tagetes is around over 70f I believe - a figure not reliably reached here until late July.

See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: explanation of classification

Labeling a plant a 'hardy' annual increases sales but also identifies the plant as one that may survive for a longer period of time in frost-free or lightly frosted environments or zones. So, it will depend upon your zone and the type of plant. You can, however, overwinter most annuals in your home with a little bit of TLC, as long as you have the proper light and the room to do so. I know a couple of people that do this so they aren't spending as much on bedding plants each year and I have some elderly friends who do it because it is easier on them and they love the feeling of springtime in the house during the winter. Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering annuals indoors

grandmamaloy - the article you linked to is using the term 'annual' to mean frost tender plants which are treated like annuals by gardeners. All the examples in given at the link are actually perennials in their natural zones. You can't make a true annual live more than one growing season however much care you give it over the winter. It is genetically programmed to flower, seed and die within one season.

In my humble opinion... An example of a hardy annual is larkspur (Consolida ambigua). Here in zone 5, it grows, seeds and dies in one season. Some seeds can germinate in the fall. It looks to me like the sprouts survive the winter. Then grow and flower the next summer. Some little ones have started now (12-24) and I expect they will be covered with snow soon. That's what I call hardy. 8-)

That's an excellent example of a hardy annual, claydirt. Not so much a 'humble opinion' as an accurate description.

at least one of my verbena is coming up from last year. It was covered up with leaves over the winter. Also my red snapdragons seem to come back with just a tiny bit of covering. I have some kind of yellow daisy that comes back sometimes. they are gorgeous. I need to find a picture. Also my white datura always comes back with a vengeance and its HUGE I'm in zone 5, near Milwaukee. We had a horribly cold winter.

whooops, thats not the right flower........ sorry I'll try to find them... these are the bigger dahlias.

From what you are saying I would venture that corn (maize) is an annual as it dies off late in the season irrespective of the temperature. It has a life span of one season whereas tomatoes only die off because of the frost making them a perennial.

The seeds I purchase in the stores claim Dusty Miller is an annual yet mine are showing signs that it survived the winter suggesting that it is a perennial in spite of the cold.

Can you give us a short list of perennials disguised as annuals?

Can you give us a short list of perennials disguised as annuals?

==>>> not really ...

all you have to do.. is google the native range of any given latin name ... and if the answer is any number of zone warmer than you .. you can almost.. i said ALMOST presume.. its annual in your range .. because it cant handle winter ... and otherwise perennial.. or what might be called.. half hardy ...

i know gal or some such heads going to esplode with what i said above ... but i cant find the words to make my point this morning ...

and part of the problem here.. with OP .. is using a marketing catalog .. as a source of botanical information ... there is no half hardy plant.. when that plant.. is in its native area ... its either annual.. biennial.. or perennial ... its when some seed catalog starts shipping them all over the face of the earth.. that they coin some hybrid nonsense term.. like half hardy ...

ken

I believe the discussion is suggesting that climate is not a factor for annulaness or perennialiam. I am gathering that some plants just live for the purpose of producing seeds once and then die such as corn. You cannot pot up corn as have it continue to produce therefore it looks as if it is a true annual. Apparently the fact that freezing or excessive heat can kill a plant is not a factor.

I am beginning to think that it is helpful though that the term "Annual in zone 5" can tell me that it should be act (be treated as) as an annual due to the fact that we have winter which is a killing factor. In some zone, if it lives for several years then it is a perennial.

This is all supposition. Feel free to correct me if you are experienced with this.

Plants are genetically programmed with a very specific lifecycle. The climate cannot change genetics. To determine the lifecycle of any plant, simply look it up in a variety of resources via google.

Some of favorite flowering perennial plants used as annuals include begonia, impatiens, lantana, dusty miller, geraniums, coleus, and many others. It doesn't really matter, does it? Performance-wise, I mean.

Even when I lived in a semi-tropical environment, I still used those plants as disposable annuals. They look and perform better as young plants.

Perennial plants have a range of conditions in which they can survive
indefinitely. True annuals can't survive indefinitely in any location
or conditions.

IME, Begonias & Coleus get better with age if one likes bigger plants. Coleus planted from cuttings saved over winter (with Strobilanthes, Persian shield):

Some grand old Begonias seen at a store recently:

Some of my Begonias: