Biennial: A plant that completes its life cycle in two years.
Biennial plants have a two-year life cycle. In the first year, they germinate from seed and grow leaves, stems, and roots. They typically store food reserves over the winter. The following year, they use those reserves to flower, produce seeds, and then die. So, unlike annuals that complete their cycle in one year, biennials take two.
Many common garden plants are biennials, including carrots, parsley, foxglove, and some types of hollyhocks. It’s important to know if a plant is a biennial because it affects how you care for it. For example, if you’re growing carrots for their roots, you need to harvest them in the first year before they flower in the second year, as the roots become less palatable after flowering.
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