Every spring the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus comes alive with color – the color of perennial plants, shrubs and bulbs.

According to the National Gardening Association, perennial plants emerge every year for two years or more. They do not have to be replanted.

Perennials will flower each year, said UW Oshkosh Grounds and Auto Supervisor Lisa Mick.

“Perennials include black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, irises — any of the prairie flowers also would be a perennial,” Mick said.

Because they come back every year, Mick said the plants must be fertilized by landscaping staff to keep the plants and blooms healthy.

“We will put down a product called mushroom compost,” Mick said. “It improves the soil and gives a little nutrient value to the plants.”

Mick said the abundance and variety of greenery on the campus is her favorite part about working at UW Oshkosh.

“There’s so much diversity as far as what you get to play with,” Mick said. “It depends on what you want to do on any given day — it’s a lot of fun.”

Learn more about perennial flowers: