Biennials
Biennials are easy to grow yourself. Unlike summer flowers, you don't sow them in spring but later in the season. I sow a batch in late July-early August. This gives them time to grow into seedlings that are ready to be planted out on their site in late September-early October, well before the frosts arrive to allow them to establish themselves. Sowing in late summer means that I will almost certainly have flowers the following season. It is also possible to sow biennials early in the year, in January-February, and if you are lucky, the plants will flower the same season. But I find it a bit of a hassle, because once the seed has germinated it may need extra light, so I generally try to avoid spring sowing of biennials.
I sow in the plug tray, one or two seeds in each plug, which makes it possible to plant out the seedlings directly from the tray on the site. It is also easy to replant the plugs in larger pots and let the seedlings overwinter in them while waiting for planting out.
Author: Hanna Wendelbo
Fact-checked by: Erik Hoekstra
Last updated: 2023-9-12