One reason why the perennial plant is sought after is because of its remarkable ability to survive year round through most weather conditions. The mail delivery person in your area, in fact, will blush if you tell him or her about how the perennial can survive any season and be taken care of by any gardener any time. Right now you may be asking - is there anybody out there who can tell me why perennials are durable all year round while almost all other plants resemble the Maiden Surprised when confronted by the winter winds?

Why can't scientists engineer annuals or biennials to last as long the perennial plant?

It's like George Orwell's Animal Farm - some plants are created more equal than others - but in any case, scientists can actually make certain annual plants and biennial plants survive longer. But before they can do this, they have to analyze a perennial plant and figure out just what exactly keeps it going in an environment where other plants shrivel up. Although stretching the life of a non-perennial would certainly make the plant and floral businesses flourish, marketing isn't the only reason scientists and many others have this question. If we had vast amounts of plants that have medicinal and life saving properties, we could study their curing capabilities at an exponential rate. The perennial plant and its longevity are getting so many people excited for the right reasons.

Interestingly enough, the perennial plant is able to thrive year after year due to a few survival tricks it has up it's sleeve. Take trees and shrubs for example. With scales, they ensure that the coming year's leaves will be protected - this after the current year's leaves have been shed. This is the same substance you'll notice if you take a close look at a perennial plant's bud. When the bud begins to bloom, it scars as its scales fall off and the distance between its scars are an indicator of how many times a year that perennial plant grows.

As for the winter months, the perennial plant would prepare for this season by removing all of its food supply from the leaves down inside the branches, twigs and trunk. The perennial plant protects itself from the cold through a process called "hardening", which is when its tissues would change in such a way that they become impenetrable to cold weather. During these changes, the chlorophyll of a perennial plant will decompose and lose its propensity to project a green hue - leaving the tree with its trademark red, yellow, orange, and brown autumn leaves.