When designing a luxury landscape, plant selection plays a crucial role in both the aesthetic and long-term success of your garden. One of the most common (and impactful) decisions is choosing between annuals and perennials — or striking a thoughtful balance between the two.
At Petrus Landscape, we believe that creating a Bay Area backyard design or estate garden that thrives year-round begins with understanding the role each type of plant plays.
What Are Annuals?
Annuals are seasonal superstars. They complete their life cycle within a single growing season — from germination to blooming and then fading out by the first hard frost. While they only last one season, what they offer is unmatched: vibrant color, continuous blooming, and the freedom to refresh your landscape design each year.
Some benefits of annuals:
Intense seasonal color and variety
Great for containers, beds, and focal points
Ideal for instantly refreshing a space
Endless choices in color, height, and texture
The trade-off? Maintenance. Annuals need to be replanted every season and generally require more watering and upkeep. But for clients who enjoy seasonal variety and fresh designs each year, annuals are a top choice.
Top Annuals for Bay Area Gardens
1. Petunias
Petunias are vibrant, long-blooming annuals that work wonderfully in containers, window boxes, or garden beds. Their soft texture and variety of colors make them a designer favorite for summer displays. Easy to grow and visually impactful.
2. Marigolds
Marigolds bring a pop of gold, orange, and red to any space and help repel garden pests. They thrive in full sun and are excellent for borders or vegetable garden edges. Their bold blooms make them perfect for colorful estate displays.
3. Snapdragons
Snapdragons offer vertical interest with bold, colorful spikes and perform well in cooler months. They can be planted densely for dramatic beds or as focal points in formal plantings. They’re often used to transition from winter to spring displays.
4. Cosmos
Cosmos deliver an airy, wildflower charm with their fern-like foliage and daisy-like blooms. Ideal for natural-style gardens or pollinator beds, they thrive in poor soil and full sun. A great choice for adding movement and informality to the landscape.
5. Zinnias
Zinnias provide long-lasting blooms in nearly every color, and they thrive in heat and full sun. Their large flowers make excellent cut blooms and provide vibrant color to formal or casual gardens. They’re also deer-resistant and attract butterflies.
6. Pansies & Violas
Pansies and violas are cool-season annuals known for their cheerful faces and wide range of colors. They’re perfect for front yard containers, entryways, or mass planting in cooler months. These are great for adding luxury color during fall and winter.
7. Lobelia
Lobelia features delicate, trailing blooms in shades of blue, white, or purple. Ideal for spilling over the edges of planters or softening garden borders, especially in partial shade. A great companion to bolder blooms.
8. Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum forms low-growing mounds of white or pastel flowers with a lovely fragrance. It’s often used to edge pathways, soften stonework, or fill containers. Low-maintenance and excellent for attracting beneficial insects.
What Are Perennials?
Unlike annuals, perennials return year after year. After blooming during their designated season, they may go dormant in the winter, only to reemerge the following spring — often stronger and more established.
Key advantages of perennials:
Lower maintenance once established
Long-term investment with consistent structure
Sustainable and budget-friendly over time
Excellent for building the “bones” of a luxury garden
While perennials might not bloom as long as annuals, their reliability, structure, and low maintenance make them essential for sustainable landscaping — especially in regions like the Bay Area where water conservation and long-term planning are critical.
Top Perennials for Bay Area Gardens
1. Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Lavender offers a timeless, Mediterranean aesthetic with its silvery foliage and fragrant purple blooms. It thrives in dry, sunny areas and attracts pollinators while requiring very little maintenance. Perfect for borders, walkways, or formal gardens.
2. Salvia (Salvia nemorosa, Salvia ‘Amistad’)
Salvias produce tall spikes of blooms in rich purples, blues, and pinks, and they’re a magnet for hummingbirds and bees. They thrive in full sun and provide color throughout the growing season. Their upright form adds architectural structure to planting beds.
3. Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile)
Agapanthus features globe-like clusters of blue or white flowers that rise above strappy green foliage. It’s drought-tolerant and well-suited for planting along driveways, poolscapes, or as a mass border. Their clean lines and elegant form make them ideal for modern luxury landscapes.
4. Coreopsis
Coreopsis produces cheerful, daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, orange, and pink. These hardy perennials bloom for months and thrive with little water once established. They work beautifully in layered plantings or casual garden beds.
5. Penstemon
Penstemon offers slender, upright stems with tubular flowers in vibrant colors. It attracts pollinators and adds height and texture to mixed perennial borders. Its low water needs and upright form make it great for sustainable landscaping.
6. Hellebores (Lenten Rose)
Hellebores bloom in late winter to early spring, often when little else is flowering. Their subtle colors and deep green foliage make them perfect for shaded gardens or woodland-style designs. They’re long-lived and need minimal care once established.
7. Japanese Anemone
These elegant late-season bloomers produce delicate, papery flowers on tall stems. Ideal for softening formal designs or adding a romantic layer to borders, they thrive in partial shade. Their long bloom period makes them a great transitional plant into autumn.
8. Euphorbia (Spurge)
Euphorbia offers dramatic foliage and a unique flower structure that adds texture to gardens. It’s very drought-tolerant and works well in both contemporary and naturalistic designs. The chartreuse-green blooms pair well with deeper tones and fine textures.
What’s Better for High-End Landscaping?
Truthfully, the best landscapes don’t rely on just one or the other. They combine both.
Annuals bring the wow-factor perfect for entrances, seasonal focal points, or special events. Perennials provide depth and longevity, allowing your garden to evolve gracefully over time. The right balance depends on your goals, climate, and the level of maintenance you prefer.
For landscape designers in areas like Atherton, Woodside, Los Altos, and Palo Alto, this mix is often tailored based on lifestyle. For example, ultra-high-net-worth clients may prefer a lower-maintenance, perennial-heavy garden that still allows for seasonal highlights via annuals installed strategically by a team.
Mixing Annuals & Perennials in Your Bay Area Garden
Here are a few ideas on how to layer both for a dynamic garden that feels intentional and luxurious:
Use annuals near outdoor living spaces like patios and pool houses to provide seasonal bursts of color.
Design perennial borders to define pathways and create a lush, layered effect.
Rotate annuals in large planters or containers at your front entrance for an always-fresh welcome.
Select native or drought-tolerant perennials for year-round beauty with minimal watering.
This blended approach creates a garden that feels lively and ever-evolving, while still offering the sustainability, structure, and elegance you expect from luxury landscape design.
Whether you’re creating a bold seasonal display or a timeless garden sanctuary, understanding the role of annuals and perennials is key. And in high-end landscaping, it’s not just about what blooms now it’s about creating outdoor spaces that grow better with time.
At Petrus Landscape, we specialize in Bay Area backyard design and estate landscaping that balances beauty with sustainability. Our team of expert landscape designers works with clients in Atherton, Menlo Park, Woodside, and beyond to craft gardens that reflect your lifestyle and values.
