How To Sow Biennials / Foxgloves, Wallflowers, Sweet Williams, Sweet Rocket, Honesty

Biennials are so easy to sow and fill that gap in the garden before all the annuals start to flower. Nothing beats the tall spires of Foxgloves or the bright colours of Wallflowers in the spring and those fluffy heads of Sweet Williams will add such a colourful patch to your borders and arrangements. Do let me know what you think about biennials, I’d love to compare notes and if you have any helpful tips, please do share them!
Here are the previous videos I mentioned:
Foxgloves • How To Sow Foxglove Se...
Wallflowers • How To Sow Wallflower ...
Sweet William • How To Sow Sweet Willi...
💚I will only ever recommend products that I use regularly and believe to be good value💚
These are affiliate links where I may make a a few pennies at no extra cost to you:
🌿Wire amzn.to/3IdlGDw
🌿Vine eyes amzn.to/3yogUPg
🌿Turnbuckles amzn.to/3nHbji2
🪴Felco 2 Secateurs - amzn.to/3NCWcAE
🪴Felco 310 Snips - amzn.to/3umBMVS
🪴Sherpa 16L Deluxe Cordless Multi Sprayer With Trolley & Knapsack amzn.to/3NzhoL3
🪴Darlac 10" Shears - amzn.to/3R8Clfv
🪴Jakoti Hand Shears - amzn.to/3OIW1VN
🪴Wilkinson Sword Pruning, Folding Saw amzn.to/3SSG7uR
🪴Bosch Isio Cordless Shear Set - amzn.to/41IPZLi
🌸Green Garden Plant Stakes, Coated Steel (11mm x 120cm) - amzn.to/3nXu1lH
🌸Jute Twine, Heavy Duty 6 Ply Natural - amzn.to/3nXu7K5
🌸Burgon & Ball RHS Flora and Fauna Women’s Gardening Gloves amzn.to/3IN76TY
🌸Burgon & Ball Men's Gardening Gloves Gardening Gloves amzn.to/3ydbpmP
🌸11 Gauge galvanised steel Pegs (6''/150mm) - amzn.to/3bRUvCb
🌸KINGLAKE 2 Pcs 90x3.5 cm Heavy Duty Tree Ties amzn.to/3LThmwM
🌸New Star 34585 Cast Aluminum Utility Scoop, 58-Ounce - amzn.to/3ReBU3h
🌸Seed Tray Trowels - amzn.to/3yEltGm
🌸Garden marker - 2 x Artline Garden Marker Black Ink amzn.to/3upLtCO
🌸Bee Friendly Wildflower Seeds - amzn.to/3NDI7D7
🌱Compost: Melcourt 50 litre bag Sylvagrow peat-free compost amzn.to/3yofRii
🌱Topsoil: Melcourt Blended Loam 20 litres amzn.to/3Ro0JtZ
🌱Mulch: Melcourt Sylvagrow Farmyard Manure 50 Litres amzn.to/3OPsY2P
🌱All-Purpose Compost: Melcourt All-Purpose Peat-Free 50 Litres amzn.to/3OIVNxV
🌱Westland Fish, Blood and Bone All Purpose Plant Food, 10 kg amzn.to/3ydOQhR
🌱Miracle-Gro All Purpose Slow Release Plant Food: amzn.to/3BIba4P
🌱Westland Growmore Balanced Garden Fertiliser: amzn.to/3O8wdEx
🌱Evergreen Plant Feed: Empathy After Plant Evergreens Bio Fertiliser amzn.to/3ObLXXV
🌱Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic 500ml **PROFESSIONAL GRADE ROSE FOOD amzn.to/3CBfD9M
🌱Gro-Sure Vermiculite amzn.to/3S5ducU
🌱DUSPRO Dried Sphagnum Forest Moss amzn.to/3AON2xx
🐝TOPBUXUS XenTari (Buxus Nematodes) - amzn.to/3OO3LpE
🐝TOPBUXUS Box Tree Moth Trap - amzn.to/3yJy6QC
🐝12sq m Nemasys vine weevil killer amzn.to/3yHBTO5
🐝100sq m Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer amzn.to/3yGJJaM
Thank you so much for joining me and watching - see you all next time.
You can find me on Facebook @Cottoverdi and Instagram @Cottoverdi

[@joymulligan5303]

Annette love your program been watching sometime. Your very knowledgeable and have a delightful personality.😊

[@cottoverdi]

Gosh, thank you so much Joy. I'm absolutely thrilled that you're enjoying the videos, and thank you for your lovely comments.

[@alioranje7633]

I am from Baghdad. Your channel is very amazing. Thank you for the wonderful information

[@cottoverdi]

So nice of you, thank you. I use to live in Baghdad when I was about 14 years old - during the Iran/Iraq war. Such a beautiful country, with wonderful food.

[@user-lm3ye4db7v]

Love watching you and hearing about your garden! I'm in the US but love all things English especially gardens. Keep doing your lovely videos ❤

[@cottoverdi]

So nice of you - gosh, thank you so much. 😁💚

[@bewoodford2807]

Thank you Annette for a very comprehensive guide to sowing biennials. I have already sown mine. I think I should have pre chilled my Hesperis and Larkspur seed as they haven't germinated yet. I may try another batch but leave those I'v sown in the coldframe over winter to see what happens, The honesty , however has germinated - every seed infact, so I am re\ally pleased. Wallflowers and Sweet William germinated well and have been pricked out, with excess plants, which I've\ spaced out in a raised bed. Thank you again- I love your videos :-) x

[@cottoverdi]

Hi Be, that's fantastic - you certainly have been busy - I just haven't found the time to do it until now but there's still time. I tend to sow my Larkspur a bit later - so don't bin the seed tray - they will probably germinate when the weather gets colder. I need to wait for my dahlias to finish before I have room in my beds to plant out this batch of seedlings! 😁

[@arielmcgillacuddy6640]

Thank you! I learned a lot.

[@cottoverdi]

Glad it was helpful! 😁

[@wendybartlett6717]

These are all lovely plants to have and I'm with you Annette and wouldn't be without Sweet Williams in my garden. They remind me of my childhood as most gardens seemed to have them. They seem to flower for a long time too. Love your videos. You have such a sunny disposition.

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks so much Wendy. Not sure what it is about the Sweet Williams but they definitely brighten my day - and the little fluffy green balls they create before they flower are super-cute too 😁

[@maureenreed3105]

Very informative do more

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks, Maureen, will do! 🌸

[@Elle.Smith.]

I always learn new botanical facts watching your channel. Thanks for sharing your stunning garden with us. There’s a few flowers that I’ve always been intimidated to try, but after seeing you sow them, and seeing then in your garden this year I’m going to have a go. Thanks Annette.

[@cottoverdi]

Hi Elle, thank you for your lovely words of support. I'm so happy to be able to share my garden with everyone. As gardeners, I find it's such a pleasure to chat about gardening and share our love of this hobby. And, definitely give everything a go. That's how I learnt to garden. Trial and error (!) Good luck 😁

[@penelopehammerton2907]

Thank you Annette. You always explain things so clearly. Is it that time already, better get cracking and get my seed in. I wonder if you can Answer this question. I have a half hardy Rudbeckia which l bought as a flowering plant. I planted it in a very large pot. I covered it with a clear plastic dome during the winter. Remembered to water it. Come spring it started to grow and grew into a lovely large plant, but no flowers!! Can you tell me why this has happened please?

[@cottoverdi]

Hi Penelope, so glad you enjoyed the video. Hmm, not sure why your Rudbeckia didn't bloom again. Did you feed the pot? It could be the the nutritional content of the the compost is spent and needs a boost. You still have time so give it a good feed each week or maybe repot it into fresh compost.

[@anneharrington7951]

I sow sweet William in a smallish cardboard box all summer, then snuggle the box into the garden, and by spring, they will bloom.

[@cottoverdi]

Sounds great! Thanks Anne 😁

[@anneharrington7951]

In ohio, the ground is frozen all winter. I sow wallflower in the snow, and they bloom the first year.

[@cottoverdi]

Oh, that's really good to know. I might try it as I missed my window to sow in fall this year because we were on holiday!

[@aisharehman5265]

Hi Annette do you have a video on peonies? I need some help on them. I have planted them last year but the leaves are reddish-brown and not flowering. I love your videos they are very informative. Thanks

[@cottoverdi]

Hi Aisha, I'm so glad you're enjoying my videos. No, I don't have a video on peonies yet. I'm still waiting for my collection to grow! If they aren't flowering, a common problem is that they're planted too deep. Try to make sure that the crown of the plant is close to the soil surface and if you mulch your beds, keep the mulch from piling up around the peonies. Hope this helps.

[@aisharehman5265]

@@cottoverdi thank you so much for your reply.

[@linda59238]

Hi, just subscribed to your channel, you’re very informative. How long do you keep your trays in the water, do you leave them in until all the water has been absorbed?

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you and welcome. I keep the trays in the water until I can see that the surface is saturated and then I let them drain before I put them in my cold frames. Hope this helps..

[@linda59238]

@@cottoverdi yes, thank you 👍🏼

[@cgj3888]

Frst visit for me - really enjoyed - Sweet Rocket and Honesty are both new for me - I put Larkspur seeds in freezer for couple of weeks simitar to your routine for Honesty - Brill and Thanks 👍😃🦊🍠🧱

[@cottoverdi]

Wonderful!