What I don't understand about gardening...annuals

[OrchidFan]

Hello

I'm new to all this and tend towards low maintenance stuff so far! Eg evergreen bushes. (I'm also mostly succulents indoors!)

What I don't understand, especially when I go round the garden centre is...stuff that flowers for one season only...

1. do you dig it up and compost it afterwards?
2. Why buy this when you can buy stuff that flowers year after year?
3. any recommendations for stuff I can plant in pots that will flower year after year and be very low maintenance/hard to kill?

Sorry for the probably stupid post and thanks!

https://www.studiohomeunearthed.com/blog/urban-refuge

This fantastic Edinburgh garden was featured on Gardeners World this year. Looks like she also opened for the NGS in May so you might want to get in touch and book for 2026. So many fantastic ideas in a small city garden, I'd visit if I were nearer.

In fairness all my neighbours (and I) have cats and all of us have foxgloves. Never in 30 years have any cats (or dogs or anything else) ever tried to eat foxgloves. Many, many fgarden plants are poisonous if eaten and most animals steer clear of them.

As for why plant annuals - things like cosmos or sweetpeas grow well from seed, give weeks and weeks of gorgeous flowers you can use as cut flowers in the house or just in a bed outside, then die back to nothing, leaving space for other things. They are shortlived but give a lot of bang for your buck, especially if sown as seeds in spring.