Perennial, foliage die back, and nomenclature

7 years ago

So I realize that the classification system of us "common folk" is likely a gross simplification that causes the blood of academics to boil; meaning this question may not have a good answer without going into "technical" depths - not that I mind!

As I understand the plants we grow are grouped thusly:

-annuals, that live one season and call it quits

-"annuals" that are really perennials being grown in a non-native climate and thus only survive one season

-biennials that live two seasons and call quits (parsley, I'm looking at you)

-perennials with an annual dormancy period and die back of all growth

-perennials with annual dormancy, loss of foliage only

-perennials that give no damns and just keep on trucking forever / no physical changes during dormancy

Now in my mind things like trees and shrubs fall into the perennial category, hence the subdivision of "foliage only" - but is this an accurate way to look at it?

It seems like a daylily, as a perennial that dies off to the ground and regrows each year, is fundamentally different than say, a raspberry that looses foliage only and the stems resume growth in the spring; which still differs from similar deciduous types that can flower multiple seasons on the same growth.

Being a new Englander, I wonder if something that looses foliage here in the north would retain it if the climate allowed? Would a maple tree never loose its leaves in a greenhouse at constant temperature? If so, does that mean the deciduous designation is also climate dependant, just as a tomato is considered an annual here but is truly a perennial?

Hope that wasn't too convoluted, these sort of things keep my mental gerbils running in circles!

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7 years ago

Perhaps the botany forum is a better place to address this. I always differentiate between herbaceous and woody growth because the growth mechanisms, based on lignification and cell structure tend to outward growth on permanent woodies...while the numerous differences regarding annuals, perennials and so forth really operate more as a real world thing rather than a purely botanical mode...so it is largely meaningless (to me) whether something is a biennial or short lived perennial because ultimately, it is all filtered through my climate, my understandings and my often misguided efforts. Many reliable perennials end up as (very short lived )annuals under my not so tender care.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
not a bad summation .. coming from gerbils and all .. lol ...

i would just add just a couple things

raspberry.. in general ... the everblooming type .... is a perennial root system ... but the canes are biennial ... they come up in spring .. might give a light harvest in fall ... then the second year.. produce with vigor ... and then die.. and you are supposed to prune them out ... of course there is the wild bramble.. but i am not talking about them ...

the maple in a conservatory ... all i ask is why .. lol ... many things REQUIRE a dormancy period.. one might think it genetic ... so you cant force it to do things it cant ... i would think ... sooner or later.. they will fail ...

finally.. and i think its campy's second sentence ... you cant lump trees/shrubs into a discussion of perennial/annuals ... thought they 'act' the same on some level.. it is probably a different conversation ... in a simple easy peasy discussion.. close enough .. but if you are going to dive in the deep end ... its different ...can gerbils swim???

my gerbils are tired now.. lol ..

ken
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It's wonderful to hear from someone who has acquired a new garden and isn't planning to sod over it - that's a fear we all share when we think about the eventuality of selling our homes. So, welcome to Garden Web - this is a great resource for gardeners; please come visit the New England forum as well. I agree with the recommendation above, the DiSabato-Aust book is a good one, really comprehensive although sometimes a little overwhelming. You should remember that you don't really need to do everything perfectly in order to have a nice garden; I tend to forget that when I read that sort of book. Leaving your perennials standing over winter is mostly a matter of taste; the exceptions are that subshrubs (like your perovskia, lavender, and most herbs) *need* to be left and should not be cut back below the place where new foliage emerges in spring and, at the opposite extreme, plants like peony and phlox, which tend to have problems with fungus, mold, or viruses, should be cut back as soon as the leaves turn brown in fall. Missing a few that should be cut back is not a big deal, next summer you'll get to know these more and the worst that can happen is you'll have some imperfect foliage. Cutting back your subshrubs too early or too severely might mean that you have to replace some plants. Aside from reading up on perennials this winter, consider starting a map of your garden. You can begin by taking measurements and plotting up the beds on graph paper (4 square per inch is best). As you learn the plants that are growing, and as you become more addicted to gardening, you'll be able to use these maps to plan additions and replacements. Congratulations on your new garden - hope you keep us posted as you learn more about what's growing there.
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I would just shorten them but not to the ground. I shear off mine after blooming, they do fine. I don't want all the length laying about in spring. Some cover protects the plant. Mine will stay green for most of winter, so you could be waiting a LOONGG time. Shorter, the dry leaves should not catch hard, to get your work done. We had great weather this week, got my jobs pretty finished. Much foliage removal, Peonies, Sedum, lily stems. Now have the shed to organize after tossing everything inside. Got my trimming done, since temps were forcast to drop along with rain and sleet. Sure is a load off my mind. Still have leaves to collect and shred, though only about half are down. If weather doesn't cooperate, there is always spring raking to find leaves. Lots of great color on the Fothergilla, Japanese and Van Houtti Spirea, Diane Witch Hazel, Forsythia. The Oakleaf has a bit of color, but hasn't been cold enough around here. Just two frosts first of Oct. then 60-70F. Maples about done, Oaks in a variety of colors. Have fun.
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Hi! This may not really answer your question but I thought I'd add to the conversation since I am in your zone (17) and have mostly containers in my brick patio. I have several large ceramic pots and I have a couple with dwarf trees and a couple with with shrubs in them. Those are like the backbone of my garden~ the woody stemmed plants that I consider "permanent". Then I have several other pots that I plant with combinations of annuals & perennials in a single pot~ herbaceous stemmed plants~ I'll change the annuals every few months with whatever I find at the nursery that has the same watering and sun/shade requirements as the perennial(s) i'm planting it with. The perennials will last a few seasons but when they stop blooming or look tired & ragged, Iknow it's time to pull them out and plant something new. (Perennial just means it lives for 3 years or more~ they do not last forever!) But some good evergreen trees & shrubs for containers that look good year round are Purple Dodonaea, dwarf citrus, Nandina, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana & other dwarf conifers, some Azalea/ rhododendron cultivars, boxwood, Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Also, I like to use organic fertilizers because they improve the soil over time and provide a lot of nutrients but I also use Eleanor's VF-11 diluted in a spray bottle w/ water and just spray it on all my plants once or twice a month. Every plant is different so even though they may all be perennials, some respond well to being pruned, others may not not bloom if you prune. Some plants don't like fertilizers (ie. ferns) while others are heavy feeders.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
Annual/perennial/biennial only describe a plant's lifespan, not the type of plant. Yes, trees and shrubs are perennials because they live longer (hopefully) than 2 years but outside of botanical texts, are seldom referred to in that manner. Most of what we refer to as perennials are herbaceous plants with no permanent woody framework that die to the ground each winter.

FWIW, some plants will remain evergreen in warmer climates while being deciduous (or partially so) in colder climates. And you can induce a fully deciduous, temperate climate plant to retain foliage year round by manipulating light and temperature levels, however denying the plant the ability to go through a normal period of dormancy can have disastrous results.
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sunnyborders
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Re the word "nomenclature".

True annual, biennial and perennial are names (a nomenclature) given to a classification (a taxonomy), but, I think, the word "nomenclature" in gardening usually refers to the naming system used as part of the Linnaean classification of plants, the fundamental unit of which is the species. Species are named with binomials (two- part names; with a generic and a specific part).
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
sunny beat me .... my gerbils didnt stop .. lol ... so i will try to dumb it down.. to my level ....

nomenclature is all about names.. but your thesis about groups ... so technically .. its two different conversations ...

the most important thing with nomenclature ... is avoiding regional common names ... e.g. .... there are numerous.. diverse plants.. which can be called a butterfly bush ... and we have to start the conversation.. with making sure.. we are all talking about the same plant ... i referenced this above.. when i talked about different kinds of raspberries ...

ken
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sunnyborders
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Gerbils aside, Ken, I think that the groupings and their naming are part of the same thing (namely a formal classification system which includes a formal nomenclature).

Agree absolutely; there is one and only one correct name for a species, extended through the Cultivated Plant Code to the names of cultivars. Avoids confusion, as you say.

And more than honest confusion; I really like the fact that nobody and no commercial interest can own a cultivar name. Of course, they do sometimes weasel their way around that by using trade marked selling names and the like.
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Perennial, foliage die back, and nomenclature

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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