Myths about Perennials in Oklahoma
From people in Oklahoma specifically, many people consider perennials to be plants that return year after year. It is true that you will often see several perennial plants return 2 and often times 3 years later after the year they were planted. However, it is not true that perennials will return year after year. The general lifespan of a perennial in Oklahoma is three years. The problem with saying that this always occurs is that there were a few people who were disappointed this year.
Last winter for Oklahoma was brutal in terms of temperature and snow. We saw several days in a row of subzero temperatures where the ground was frozen fairly far below the surface. The reason most perennials survive for a few years (as they are supposed to) is that although we might receive a snow, it warms up rather quickly and often times the frozen part of the ground goes only a short distance into the dirt and often times sun will heat it up to the extent that it never reaches the roots of your perennials.
However, this last winter was different for a lot of perennials. Snow stayed on the ground for a significant amount of time and temperatures got so cold and remained cold that the sun was not able to recover the ground temperatures for a while. This caused a lot of problems for those of us that enjoy landscaping the yards and hope for a good looking return of plants in our flowerbeds the following year.
Still, last year was a very untypical winter season for us. Many peoples perennials still withstood the unbearable freezing temperatures and came back this year. However, the biggest myth is simply assuming that they will come back year after year. The typical lifespan is three years.
As well, you should still take measures to keep your perennials covered to harsh weather. Perennials do not die in the winter and return. They simply become dormant. If they die, they do not return. So make sure you take the time to protect those plants during those harsh winter storms, despite how ugly they may appear at the time.
