What is the difference between perennials and annuals - in layman's terms?

If the plant is rated to grow in your area and it is labeled a perennial, then it will grow and remain for more than two years. If it is an annual, you will enjoy its blooms for only one year. A biennial will grow/flower for only two years.

If a plant is a “tropical” perennial but you live in the North, it will only be an annual.

Yes, @SpatzieLover is right. A perennial is basically a plant that will essentially come back every year even if it dies back over the winter. It doesn’t necessarily have to grow year round but it has to at least come back the next year. An annual dies every year at the end of the season and a new one will have to be planted. But a plant that is happy to grow year after year in Florida is probably going to die when it gets cold if live in North Dakota or Pittsburg and will have have to plant new one each year. And a lot of house plants are just tropicals that can’t hack it outside here up here in the North so we have to grow them inside . :-)

In your area (whatever that area may be):

annual = does not return after the winter
perennial = returns year after year

Doesn’t matter what they do in other climes, although it may affect how you see them labeled.

perennial = permanent. annual = once a year.

You have to consider whether the plant is annual or perennial in its native environment. There are a lot of warm climate plants that are perennials but which can’t take the winters in cooler climates and so only last one season. I live near Philadelphia and grow a small vegetable garden. I was surprised to learn that pepper plants are perennials. One of these years I am going to take my pepper plants indoors for the winter and see if I can replant them the following year.

Annuals and perennials work on two different survival strategies. Perennials have to invest energy into their structure to allow them to survive from one season to the next and have less energy left over for flowers and seeds. Without having to worry about long term survival, annuals put most of their energy into developing seeds.

There are a lot of perennial Spring flowers that have an interesting survival strategy. Most of their structure is underground. They pop up briefly in the Spring, collect solar energy and put out flowers for a brief time, and then allow the above ground part to die off.

If you give them proper care, perennials come up every year once you’ve planted them. You have to replant new annuals every year either putting in new plants or new seeds. Ask about it where you buy your plants.

Thank you everyone!