Many folk who are new to having a cut flower patch can be reticent to grow a flower which will not produce blooms for nine months but when you consider that most of that time is in the winter when you wouldn’t have any blooms anyway, it makes it a less jagged pill to swallow. Biennials also have the important role of very early and very abundant flowers in spring. They really do kick off your season wonderfully early. They are easy to grow and very abundant. Once you pop your biennial cherry, there is no going back.
FAQ: Biennial bundle? What are you harping on about, Higgers?!
Our world famous biennials bundle! Flower seeds to sow in the summer that will flower the following spring.
We have taken 20% of the price and include FREE shipping…..and we’ll also throw in a free packet of something because we love yer!!
Sweet William ‘Auricula eyed’
Sweet William ‘Alba’
Sweet William ‘Higgledy Mix’
Hesperis ‘Alba’
Foxglove ‘Excelsior’
Foxglove ‘Apricot’
Foxglove ‘Alba’
Honesty
Wallflower ‘Cloth of Gold’
Wallflower ‘Vulcan’
Here’s a link: Biennial Flowers Bundle.
The Higgledy Garden method for sowing biennial flowers.
*Sow in June and July. This will give you strong and established seedlings ready to be planted out in September.
*During June and July my flower beds are all being utilised, so instead of direct sowing into the soil I tend to sow up my biennial seeds in trays. Sowing into the ground where they are to flower is a perfectly acceptable option.
*I prefer to sow biennials in 3 inch square pots. Square pots make life hard for the slugs and snails….and I’m mean spirited like that.
*Biennials don’t need much heat to nudge them into germination, I simply place my trays outside somewhere out of the way and let them get on with it, just make sure you keep them watered. Partial shade is fine…or even preferable.
*Plant out biennials before the Autumn equinox, (when daylight hours and dark hours become equal) in 2023 I think this will be September 23rd.
*If you have free bed space then by all means direct sow into the soil. I would sow into straight shallow drills a foot apart. Really fine seeds like foxglove seeds can be sown on the surface. Water the drill before sowing…and simple press the seed into the moist soil. It is important to keep the bed watered while the little fellows are germinating. In the summer this might mean watering everyday….which is why sowing in pots can be easier….as there will be less surface area to keep watered. Don’t overthink it though…biennials are native to the UK and they manage to sow their own seed and grow very successfully without the helping hand of humans.
Here’s a link to all our biennials in this year’s portfolio.
If you have any questions then please ask away…you can find me on Twitter or Facebook. Should you wish you can join ‘Club Higgledy’ (see the right hand side bar).
Kind regards
Higgers and Flash