Sunshine has arrived finally, we have had some warmth at last and yes I know we have had more rain but actually this is perfect growing weather. Hopefully you have sown all your annuals now and they are growing well. I’m having a mini battle in the greenhouse with some slugs, its those little tiny brown ones that can just nip off the growing shoot before you know it. My Zinnias have taken a bit of a mauling and so have the Didiscus and the odd Phlox. So I’ve ended up sowing some more Zinnias but I’m sure they will catch up. Its very frustrating but all part of gardening! But before you put your seed boxes away there is just the matter of the biennials. Not more seed sowing you say, but this will be the last till the autumn and you will be thankful for it this time next year. Biennials are so useful for the cutting garden as they fill a gap between any bulbs like Narcissus and Tulips that you may grow for cutting and before the autumn and spring sown annuals get going properly. They include beauties such as Honesty, Sweet Rocket, Wallflowers, Sweet William, Canterbury Bells and Foxgloves. Even if you don’t grow for cutting they add lots of late spring colour to your garden and many are great for the bees.
Biennials are flowers that you sow in late Spring/early Summer, they germinate and grow into a small plant and then flower the following year. I know, I know a whole year to wait but they will really reward you next year with armfuls of blooms, many of which are scented, at a time in the garden when they are much needed. More reason to sow them? We have put together a new bundle for this season of our favourites with 10% off. Click here to link to the bundle offer.
Many of them you can be easily sow direct but as I’ve got a smallish garden and space is tight, my beds and borders are chocka-block full of plants now so I tend to sow into seed trays and prick out, pot on and plant out when I have space later on in the year. For more specific sowing instructions for biennials have a look at the Higgledy garden seed sowing guide. But just a few hints and tips, seeds sown now don’t need any special treatment really, you don’t need a greenhouse they will be fine outside. In fact it will be too hot in a greenhouse they are best sown outside in a sheltered part of the garden but don’t forget about them. They will germinate quickly and its very important to keep an eye on watering as they can dry out very fast. In fact they will grow so fast its best to be efficient at pricking them out and potting them on so that they don’t get root bound or starved of nutrients that could stunt their growth or prevent them growing into a good, healthy plant. Plant in their final positions in the autumn, September is a good time so they can get established before any cold weather arrives. But they are all hardy and will then just stop growing and sit tight till the spring when with some warmth and light they will send out flower stems and flower to their hearts content from late April to end of June depending on the variety.
The seed of Foxgloves and Canterbury bells are very small, like dust for Foxgloves so they are very hard to sow thinly but try as hard as you can as it makes it easier for pricking out. They are best surface sown or cover lightly with vermiculite. Either water the seed tray before sowing or sit the tray in water so that it soaks up rather than overhead watering after sowing as this can just wash all the seeds to the side of the tray. I know this from experience!
Honesty on the other hand has big flat disc-like seed and I tend to sow these on their sides in modules. They can be erratic to germinate and don’t all germinate at the same time so be patient.
So what are the best Biennial flowers, well many of the quintessential cottage garden flowers are biennials, so we have Canterbury Bells, Foxgloves, Honesty, Sweet Rocket (Hesperis), Sweet Williams and Wallflowers. We have picked our favourites for the Biennial bundle.
Honesty is one of the first to come into flower, mine was out in mid April, and the great thing about them is they can grow in tricky places, don’t mind some shade and once established can cope with it quite dry. I always have a bit of a dilemma with it, do I cut it for the flowers or leave it for the beautiful moon-shaped irridescent seed heads. The answer really is you need to grow enough to do both!!
Wallflowers are one of my favourite flowers to grow for their scent alone, read more about them here. We have included ‘Ivory White’ and ‘Vulcan’ in the bundle so that you can have some subtle pastel shades and some sumptuous dark shades in your garden!
Sweet William or Dianthus, those beautifully scented flower with big bright flower heads. They have really good sturdy stems for cutting and the flower heads are large and can make quite a statement in a bouquet. Here is Sweet William ‘Higgledy Mix’ and ‘Auricula-eyed’ with the acid green perennial Alchemilla mollis.
Next is the beautiful Sweet Rocket, we have Hesperis Purple and Hesperis White here and both add a frothy, blousy feel to your garden and posies. Beautiful sweet scent, last pretty well in a vase, long stems and keep flowering for a few months, sending out lots of side shoots after the main stems have been cut. The plants will often be perennial for a couple of years and then run out of steam so best to grow a few extras each year to top up your patch or rotate them round your garden.
Here with Orlaya grandiflora and Corncockle.
Foxgloves are a must for my garden, I just love those stately spire and I’m trying to establish them so they keep setting seed but that takes a while so I grow a few a year. We have the beautiful pink ‘Excelsior’ and the pure white ‘Alba’ in the bundle this year. I have to say, as I only have a few growing in my garden, I find them very hard to cut down as a cutflower and I like to leave mine for the bees who just love them. But they do look fabulous in a vase. Here is the Foxglove ‘Alba’ with Alchemilla mollis, Feverfew, Ammi majus and Allium ‘Graceful beauty’.
Canterbury bells were one of my surprise favourites in my garden last year, it was my first time growing them and wow do they make a statement in the vase, even just on their own. They are big sturdy plants and once you have cut the main stems send out lots of flowering side shoots.
Here with Cornflower ‘Black Ball’ and ‘Mauve Ball’, Alchemilla mollis and Silene vulgaris.
Here with Cosmos ‘Apricotta’, Amberboa muricata and Phlox ‘Creme Brulee’.
I can’t wait for them to start flowering again any time soon.
So there you are a beautiful collection of biennials for you to sow in June/July. Here is the link to the bundle with 10% off the full price.
Follow us all on Instagram. myself Higgledy Anne (anne_hinks), Ben and Higgledy Gemma (Colour Wheel Garden) for more information on sowing biennials and our flowery adventures.