Do annuals or impatiens come back each year or do I need to plant new ones?

What kind of plants DO come back each year without replanting new ones? Will elephant ears and calidindums (spelling) come back? What about any vegetables in a garden?

Do annuals or impatiens come back each year or do I need to plant new ones?
It depends where you live.





If you live in warmer climates, annuals will reseed themselves and return. If you live in a colder area, the seeds may be killed off by the cold.





For example, When I first moved to this house in 1996, I was forced to buy impatiens every spring. However, the winters have become more mild over the years to the point that the impatiens return from seed. I haven't had to purchase Impatiens since 2003.
Reply:Good question. By definition annuals are just that, however, there are exceptions. The two you named tend to come back provided they have some winter protection such as full sun and the lack of sub-zero temps or ice storms. Another "annual" the responds well is Dusty Miller.


Make sure you remove any material that shows sign of decay or die-back from the previous winter. The Dusty Miller often needs a bit of shaping and the removal of the yellowish seed heads.


impatients will not come back except in very rare southern locations and conditions. Good Luck
Reply:I used to have a problem remembering this and was told an easy way to remember. ANNUALS are planted ANNUALLY.


Bulb plants like elephant ears not only come back, but with spread. As long as the leaves get sun and water, they are feeding the bulb, which is growing, and spreading out, which is why you can find yards that are almost completely covered by daffodils. I can't think of any garden vegetables that come back, since they are seeded.
Reply:Impatients die each year and do not come back u have to replant each year
Reply:Perennials come back each year. When you buy plants, check the tag--if it says "Annual" then it will die at the end of the season and not come back the following season. Some vegetables are perennials--asparagus, for instance; some reseed themselves and come back as volunteers--dill, for example. But, most vegetables are annuals. Most flowers, including Impatiens, sold at garden centers/ Walmart, etc. in the spring are annuals. You'll pay more for perennials, but since they should come back again they may be worth it. Caladiums are perennial in some climates--where I live they must be brought indoors before they freeze, the bulb like roots will then regrow next season. Have no knowledge of elephant ears, sorry.
Reply:veggies,like tomatoes, onions, and squash have always come back for me even when i didn't want them.
Reply:impatients are annuals that dont come back every year.periennials like elephant ears do come back every year
Reply:Impatiens is an 'annual' and that means that it 'lives one year only' and needs to be 'replanted' every spring.


To get plants that don't need to be 'replanted' every year or two (a two year plant is a 'biennial') you need to go to a good nursery and get 'perennials' ... those are plants that you can put into the ground one time, and keep growing for several years.


Vegetables in the garden are 'variable' ... some need to be 'replanted' every spring, and some are 'perennials' that bloom and give fruit for several years before they 'get old and die off.'


Go to a 'good nursery' and ask 'every silly question' you can think of ... the people who work in a nursery should 'know' the answers or be able to 'point you to a place' you can learn more about your plants. This information is generally 'free' because once a person gets 'stuck on gardening' there are plenty of ways to 'make money' from them in all of the 'additives' and 'decorative items' ... plus 'gardeners' just love gardening so much that they love to help other people to 'catch gardening' as their 'hobby/avocation' too. I'm sorry, but I live in Zone 8, and we don't grow either elephant ears or 'calidinums' (don't know what that is and can't tell from your spelling) ... but your nursery people live in the same 'Zone' you do, and they should know about those two plants.
Reply:It's neither...perennials are the ones that come back every year...
Reply:vegetables are generally annuals, which means they go to seed in late summer and then die off. Perennials come back every year, provided that growing conditions are optimum for that. This depends on a lot of things, not the least of which is type of soil, fertilizer, sun or shade, the variety of the plant, a hybrid or wild version and what you put where (and sometimes with whatever is going right next to it). Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries and such are perennials, as well as asparagus, but asparagus will only have something to eat on them in 2 years' time. Onions are perennials as well as many herbs, such as lemon balm, chives, lavender, and mints.


I have fish in a pond and the water makes the best fertilizer I've ever seen! Believe it or not, I have annuals from last year that are growing again this year, and that is very unusual. Just educate yourself as you go along.
Reply:annuals die after 1 season , but reseed easily . perennials come back year after year and are somewhat harder to grow from seed . elephant ears are tropical ,you must dig up ball root and store indoors in cold areas