I saw this when researching Melissa, hoping to find some clues on how folks winterize this plant (no luck), and noted this in the general description. Seems to me an herb/forb is an annual, biennial, or perennial. I suppose if a perennial is not hardy to your zone, you might plant it as an annual (I do that with lemon verbena) but it would still be categorized as a perennial (just not hardy to my zone) . On that basis, can a re-seeding annual be termed 'suitable as a perennial' (which is likewise incorrect)? In the interest of keeping our database as accurate as possible, this struck me as somewhat odd. But perhaps I am missing something?

It's hardy to zone 4 or 5, so shouldn't need winterizing in a protective sense. The database categorizes it as a perennial. Then adds "suitable as an annual" which I would interpret in either of two ways, first that you might plant it as an annual if it's not hardy in your zone, as you mentioned, or alternatively that although it is a perennial it grows well enough in its first season from seed that it has some usefulness in its first year. I don't think one would ever consider a self-seeding annual a perennial unless it is perennial in a warmer climate.

Sue is right. The checkmark in that box means that a tender perennial will grow enough in the first year to bloom or display some other desirable attributes before succumbing to cold weather.

OK. I would never consider a perennial an annual (or a self-seeding annual a perennial), but can vaguely see the reasoning. Minor confusion that just caught my eye. It's of no moment.

Petunias are a good example. They're perennials and they come back reliably in zone 9 and up, but people in the lower zones can and do grow them as annuals.

It is confusing. Many perennials are considered annuals in the warmer zones that don't get enough winter chill/get winter rains. Box stores rarely get it right, and bulbs are up for grabs. Ideally plants should be listed as perennial in zones ? and annuals in zones ?, but then you factor in micro climates and all is lost.

Well, no, because there are more differences between the two than mere hardiness zones. An annual completes its life cycle in one year and doesn't come back in any zone. The weather doesn't magically turn a perennial into an annual, or vice versa.

I do understand that. But for some new to the technicalities of gardening, it can be very confusing. Many perennials won't come back in my zone, but are grown as annuals.

Yes, that is what "suitable as an annual" means. The database isn't claiming that petunias, as just one example, are annuals. They are perennials and are described as such in the database. However, people can (and do) treat them as if they were annuals.

That's why the "suitable as an annual" checkbox is in the USES section of the database, not the LIFE CYCLE section.

I forget where I saw it, but someone expresses it as: "perennial, often grown as an annual".

And I agree: almost any time you say "perennial" about a plant, it would be nice to have said "perennial in Zones X and warmer".

RickCorey said:And I agree: almost any time you say "perennial" about a plant, it would be nice to have said "perennial in Zones X and warmer".

It might be "nice," but it would only perpetuate the misunderstanding. A perennial plant is perennial in every zone. The fact that its life is ended by bad weather does not make it any less a perennial. That's why we have hardiness zones for perennials. There are no hardiness zones for annuals. They aren't coming back in any zone.