Planting has been both a profession and a hobby of people through history. Rulers from all civilizations have hired gardeners to embellish their castles and gardens. From the magnificent hanging gardens of Babylon, to the gardens in the Palace of Versailles, gardeners have created true natural, living masterpieces.

Today, most people have some type of flowers and plants in their houses. It might be as simple as a flower in a pot, or maybe a garden in the front of the house, with dozens of roses or tulips and a good looking artificial lawn. Even though plants don’t need you to devote them as much time as pets, large gardens do come with their share of work. On the other hand, gardening is very satisfying for people, specially on spring, when plants flower and bring color after the cold winter.

People who like to keep all year round gardens tend to prefer perennial flowers. Perennial plants are plants that live two or more years or seasons, unlike annual plants, which die when the first the cold months comes. This is very easy when you plan to have a garden all year round, as you only have to replace a few plants each spring, and not all the garden, which you would have to do if you had annual plants.

There are several types of perennials, with different characteristics and properties. In this article we will cover some types of perennials, but not all.

- Evergreen perennials. These types of perennials retain their leaves all year round. This means that they keep their leaves green, even in the cold months. The most famous example of evergreen perennials is the Begonia, which usually thrives in tropical or subtropical weather. In cold weathers, it’s usually treated as an annual, rather than a perennial.

- Deciduous perennials. These types of perennials are exactly the opposite of evergreen perennials. They lose their leaves during the cold months and grow it again in spring. These perennials are better for climates where there is snow in the cold months. The Goldenrod belongs to these types of perennials.

- Monocarpic perennials. These types of perennials die shortly after flowering and setting seeds. That’s because they may take years to flower. The most common monocarpic perennial, also a drought resistant perennials found in gardens is the bamboo, which can last 10 to 25 years, or even develop wooden trunks, and are used when a tree is wanted. Pines are good examples of these kinds of perennials.

- Herbaceous perennials. These types of perennials have stems and flowers and seeds that die in the the cold months. However, some parts of the plant, usually the roots, survive, and so they grow back to life after the cold months passes and spring comes back.

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