Are Perenials flowers grow year to year or do you have to replant them?

Hi Catwho! Perrenials are plants that come up year after year, maybe dying down for winter, like Hostas, Crocosmia etc. Annuals are the pretty things you spend an arm and a leg for to give your garden instant colour then disappear with the first frost, never to be seen again unless you have collected seed and have the time, patience and space in which to propagate them for the following year. Hope this helps as a start - there's millions of ideas on the tail of it. Good Luck!

Hi Catwho, just to add to Nariz's good advice, you can also get what are called 'hardy annuals', that are plants that will grow flower and die in the same year, but they will self seed and come back year after year, best planted in flower beds rather than pots, but proberly your cheepest option, as you buy them as seeds, usually about £1.50 per pack, and you get loads! simply throw them around where you want them to grow late spring and let nature take it's course. to give some examples, Pot marrigold, Poppy, Cornflower, Nasturtium, and there are lots more. It's a shame your not in the UK, i have loads of these seeds i could send you, to start you off. - all of these plants like sun, need little care and attention, ideal for beginers.

Where in the USA do you live? I didn't see that listed. Because it makes a BIGGG difference whether you live in, say, Maine, or Florida, or South Dakota, or Arizona, or Mississippi! :-) No use leaving your cactus out all year round in Maine! Or planting delicate white roses in Ariziona!

This group has a lot of members who live in the UK. And - especially garden-wise - these are lucky people! The others of us, who are blown away by those gorgeous photos in magazines, have to take into consideration that living outside the UK is going to make a huge difference in how many things will grow and thrive.

Lilycoton is right because some things here in the southern US are perenials but would not be in say Wisc or Maine. Try Googling time zones and see what yours is! It could help you alot!

Thank you for your response.
I live in Nebraska. The weather here changes with a drop of a hat. I'm in zone 5 for growing plants. The area I want to grow my flowers is kinda sandy and doesn't get much water unless I water it. It's been bare for 9 years. Right now since it's cold it looks like grass is growing there but, it will more than likely disappear once it gets warmer out.
I remembered I had bought some seeds on clearance last year and that I had them sitting in a box. I'll have to see if any of them will work. Some I think I will try in pots to see how well they do that way also. I have Viola, Nasturtium of various kinds, Johnny Jump Ups, SnapDragons, Columbine, lavender Hyssop, Flax, Hollyhock, Red Hot Poker, Lupine, Poppy, English Daisy (RedPomponette), Carnation, Wildflowers, Pansy Blueberry Sundae mix.
Not sure which would be best but, I'll try the ones that where mentioned above. I want to pretty up my front porch also. I have two red gerianiums in big pots I've had for about 3yrs that I move indoors when its cold out. They look alittle lonely by themselves on the porch. Not sure what all I should try or do to get them started beside's just sticking them in dirt and watering it.

I don't know your climate so I wont suggest plants, but reading your blurb I was just thinking that if you don't have a lot of time for gardening and don't want to spend much money, then I would suggest that a potted garden is probably not the best idea - containers need watering every day - more if it's hot - and they need watering even if it's rained coz the water just splashes off the plants. Also, the cost of containers and compost builds up (don't be temped to simply use soil in your pots). You will find that perennials (plants that flower year after year) will prefer to have a deep root run and therefore are more suited to being in the ground than in pots. Good luck with it.

Thank You for all the suggestions and advice!