The incredible array of horticulture in all of its forms – the traditional perennials, many with old-fashioned names and old-fashioned memories of simpler times . . . the annuals – trays and racks in rows upon rows, brimming with a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and fragrances. . . the trees, shrubs and bushes are waiting for their time to grow.

For your gardening requirements, do you go to a garden center, or a garden center nursery? And what are the differences?

Daddy, Where Do Plants Come From?

An excellent question, not as naïve as it might sound. Just like in the case of humans and animals, plants are produced through a process of reproduction; naturally, the farm where this takes place is referred to as a nursery; larger garden centers have nursery facilities, where the magic of propagation produces the incredible variety of plant, tree and shrub species from which you can choose the perfect cast for your garden show.

Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs, and other hardy perennials plants which require growth in the ground are usually farmed by garden center nurseries in a fashion similar to any other crop – rows and rows of plant crops, will continue to mature until such time as they are dug up and packaged for transport; some varieties of annual are grown potted in the fields, or may be potted, wrapped or burlap balled as they are dug.

Typically, trees, shrubs and most perennials are reproduced through cutting a branch or splitting a root. In the case of fruit trees, a cutting from a mature tree of the type desired is grafted on to a similar species of tree; it takes root and develops in a manner that duplicates its original heritage.

Perennial Favorites

Most garden center nurseries grow two basic categories of growing stock – annuals and perennials; the implications of choosing one or the other without fully understanding the specific characteristics of that plant can sometimes have unexpected or undesirable consequences.

Perennials are plants that do not die after one season, but reappear year after year. Trees and shrubs are perennials, as are many varieties of greenery and flowering plants; perennials can be small and dainty, large and impressive, or tall and stately – which means that size is not a characteristic that you can singularly rely upon in determining whether a particular plant is perennial or not.

With luck and care, perennials will provide a continuous supply of shoots, cuttings or roots which can be gifted to friends and family for future generations; these are also the methods that are used by garden center nurseries to produce new plants each year. And by selectively combining material from more than one particular strain of plan is the process through which new variations are created – often to reproduce a combination of desirable characteristics from one or more, resulting in a new plant that bears a familial resemblance to each of its parents.

Better garden centers and nurseries will feature an assortment of perennials, and may even be able to provide you with a pedigree for the plants of your choice, enabling their history to become a part of your own garden’s historical record. (Or, of course, you can always indulge in the fun of making one up!) Perennials will cost more initially, but amortizing that cost over time makes them a good investment; if your tastes or requirements change, you can always move them or pass them along to a friend.

The Colorful World Of Annuals

Generally speaking, annuals are grown in greenhouses, and in some cases hydroponically (no soil), in large quantities; usually from seeds, annuals are grown in trays or pots that become the packaging in which you purchase them at the garden center nursery, or at a landscape garden center, where landscape design and landscaping products are available to contractors and homeowners.

Annuals will only survive for a single growing season, which suggests that they can be regarded as disposable; generally inexpensive, and often reflecting style and colour trends of the day, they are simple and effective décor elements that can be replaced next year with something more fashionably-appropriate.

Be Creative

So, to create a garden that maintains a display of colour all summer long, and which showcases a variety of shapes and sizes, expert gardeners take advantage of the creativity of the garden center nursery to skillfully combine a variety of perennials, annuals and greenery, showcasing the unique characteristics of each type of plant; the resulting natural kaleidoscope becomes a testament to the skill, patience and vision of the gardener as a natural artist.