Delphiniums and some verbascum are short-lived perennials, blooming every year for three years or more.

Most foxgloves are biennials, producing lush foliage the first year and a dramatic spike of flowers the second year.

In a few cases, modern hybridizing has blurred the lines between annuals and biennials so that now you can grow a biennial foxglove ('Foxy') or hollyhock (Summer Carnival mix) that blooms the first year when planted from seed in spring followed by a second year of bloom.