Many gardeners shy away from planting biennials. In a time where instant gardens are commonplace, waiting a year for blooms is almost too much to ask! On top of that, many biennial plants often complete their life cycles soon after flowering. Even with these points well taken, however, it would still be a shame to exclude some of the most cherished of heirloom flowers from your home landscape. Wild Foxglove, Canterbury Bells, Honesty, Sweet William, and Hollyhock are all classified as biennials.


A true biennial flowers the year after its seeds were sown and is likely to perish shortly thereafter. A third or fourth season of growth is possible, but usually vigor is diminished and flowering is never as quite as spectacular as it was in year two. That spectacular beauty makes many of these flowers truly worth waiting for!


Biennials can be started from seed at home in a hobby greenhouse or nursery bed, or they can be purchased at local garden centers as first-year plants. Second-year plants are also sometimes available, but usually are not worth the investment. Either a late spring or late summer/early fall planting of transplants is possible. I have always preferred to plant biennials in late spring, giving the plants an opportunity to develop strong roots and increase in mass. The size and stamina of the blooms blooms usually depends on how well each plant is able to carry out these two functions.


Siting biennials in the perennial border can be tricky. Basal foliage in year one won't attain much height, but the flower spikes of some biennials can get quite tall the second year. How can they be placed so that they look their best in either stage of growth? It's best to site these varieties midway in the border—behind airy plants. That way basal foliage won't look weak by comparison, and flower stalks will be visible from behind them when in full bloom.


One redeeming quality exhibited by most biennials is the ability to self-sow. Ripe seeds fall and germinate in the vicinity of the mother plant; young seedlings can be moved to other parts of the garden or shared with fellow gardeners. If too many "volunteers" become a nuisance, there is an easy remedy: Remove all spent blooms before they set seed. Some gardeners develop a system that produces blooms every year—without an off-year lull. They simply plant first-year plants two years in a row and allow the seeds of each of these to drop. In order for self-sown seedlings to thrive, it's important to thin as necessary, and to top dress the soil with an inch or two of compost.


All of the following biennials bloom happily each spring and summer in the door-yard and residence gardens of Old Sturbridge Village. Let the accompanying photographs and descriptions whet your appetite until you can visit them again in person!


Wild or Purple Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a handsome biennial. A June bloomer, its flower spikes grow 3-6 feet tall, with elongated pendulous bells up the length of its stem. Flowers are usually purplish with a spotted throat. Fertile soil and sufficient moisture will yield a stately plant with several spikes. Plant it in full sun or part shade—out of harm's way, as this biennial has poisonous properties! Digitalis, a heart medication, is derived from Foxglove. A dry winter location is necessary for successful overwintering.


Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium) visitors to the Parsonage early each summer. Upright bells in shades of pink, lilac, and white bloom up 2-4 foot stems, making this plant quite a show stopper! It's best to plant it in full sun in ordinary garden soil, liming if necessary. Provide a loose mulch over plants once the ground freezes, to ensure successful overwintering.


Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is one of the most favored old-fashioned plants. Stately in appearance, these beauties graced the simple door-yard gardens common in the Village period. Hollyhocks average about 6 feet tall when in flower, but are capable of attaining even greater heights when planted in fertile, well-drained soil. The stake as the season progresses. Rust is a disease common to Hollyhocks. It is evident by orange-brown spots on both sides of the leaves and on the stems. Besides disfiguring the plants, rust can highly reduce overall vigor. It is best to prevent the disease by practicing good hygiene. In the fall, remove all infected plant parts and dispose of them in the trash.


Honesty (Lunaria annua) is often referred to as Money Plant because of the silvery silicles (inner lining of the seed pods) that remain after the plant has dried and the seeds have been removed. Although popular in everlasting arrangements, the living plant also has many fine attributes. Blooming early in the season, it has purple flowers that complement spring flowering bulbs. It is happy in shade as well as in sun, and will grow quite nicely in poor soil without a lot of attention.


Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is a favored cut flower; its vivid and long-lasting blooms add color and interest to many arrangements. In the garden, Sweet William blooms in June, about the same time as Foxglove; for that reason these two biennials are often planted together, producing quite an effect! More often that not, Sweet William behaves like a short-lived perennial, but its flowers are never quite as showy as in the second season. Plant it in full sun, in average garden soil. Because Sweet William is easy to grow, it is often included in wildflower mixes.


Sweet or Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is a sweetly scented biennial that blooms in June. Its flowers are white or lilac, and are borne on stems from 2-3 feet tall. Plant in full sun to part shade, in fertile, moisture-retentive soil. Flowers are said to be most fragrant at night when they are pollinated by moths. Sweet Rocket is a hardy self-sower, and for that reason it has naturalized in our area, sometimes becoming invasive. Be vigilant about thinning young seedlings, in order to grow the best possible specimens.


Rose Campion (Lychnis Coronaria) is another biennial that is quick to establish in the border. Wooly silver foliage is pretty in the first season and is followed by fuchsia-colored blooms early in the summer of year two. Well suited for either sun or part shade, Rose Campion thrives in average garden soil, provided it is well drained. L. Coronaria `occulata' is a tamer version of the same plant, sporting light pink blushed flowers. Both are rampant self-sowers, so remove most spent blooms unless you desire a garden (lawn, walkway, estate) full of Rose Campion!


This year why not stray (or even veer ) from the norm and plant a few biennials! Your patience will be amply rewarded with an abundance of beautiful blooms.



Old Sturbridge Visitor, Spring 2003, 10-11.