Perennials are great favorites with gardeners, especially beginning gardeners, because these plants are long-lived and easy to take care of. The plants’ growth above ground is made up of soft tissue (not woody stems) that dies back to the ground every winter, and then grows back in the spring. Almost every plant family contains perennials, and they offer a tremendous diversity of color, form, bloom time, size, texture, foliage, light and soil requirements, and fragrance. Many are hardy to Zone 4 or colder.