Gardeners grow two types of plants basically, annuals and perennial plants. The annual plant grows from a seed; flowering follows and the mother plant dies after the new crop of seed has matured. The perennial plant does not have a life span that is limited to one year unless it is grown out of zone. For instance, the tulip bulb is a perennial plant when grown in the Netherlands, but in much of the United States, the tulip bulbs decline and won’t flower again in many States, so that tulips are planted thereafter as an annual-not to return the following year. The environmental factors of heat and humidity limit the planting and growing of tulip bulbs in much of the United States as a perennial plant.

Elephant ear bulbs can be grown as a perennial plant in warmer climates where the elephant ear bulbs grows in size each year to form huge clumps. Elephant ear bulbs when planted in Northern States like New York will not survive outside temperatures of snow and ice and must be grown as an annual unless the elephant ear bulbs are dug up and stored inside the house.

From these perennial bulb examples, it can be demonstrated how important temperature factors are in plant survival. Other factors of the environment are important, such as light intensity. Yucca plants and agave plants thrive in hot, dry, sunny conditions, and if either of these plants are grown in low light, the decline begins that finally results in plant death.

Desert plants such as agave plants, yucca plants, and aloe plants can survive in the dry sands of the deserts and heat, drought, and intense sunlight that other plants could not tolerate. The yucca, agave, and aloe plants could not survive tropical jungle humidities and shade.

Fern plants are very adaptable to practically any environment imaginable, from rocky heights on arctic-like mountain tops, to the heavy shade of tropical rainforests, ferns thrive. As a nursery plant, ferns are grown as bedding plants in sun or shade or as delicate indoor potted fern plants such as the lacy maidenhair fern, Adiantum peruvianium, and the foxtail fern, Asparagus meyerii. Read the rest of this entry »