Biennials are plants that take 2 growing seasons to go through their entire cycle. The first year they have limited growth and then in the second year they become fuller plants. Typically, biennials don’t flower in their first year, but if you plant them early enough, you might get some blooms in year 1.
Some plants that are biennials are often confused for perennials because they are self sowing, dropping seeds each year that grow into new plants the next year. Interestingly enough, some plants that are perennials such as sweet william and forget me nots are often mistaken for biennials because they deteriorate significantly after the second year.
A lot of gardeners like to plant biennials from seed directly into the garden. This should be done in late spring or early summer. Sprinkle them on the ground and keep them watered until they germinate. They should be sown in a shady area at first, but once the seedlings are strong enough transplant them to full sun.
You can also start biennials indoors in small pots and transplant them outdoors once it becomes warm enough and the seedlings are strong enough for transplanting. Either way, you should make sure they are in the ground well before frost so that they can establish a strong root system before winter.
One technique to having biennials growing in your garden is to be sure to have seeds for planting every year. That way you will always have blooms from your second year plants as your first year plants are growing to establish themselves. Part of the fun of biennials is collecting the seeds from the plants to grow the following year.
Perhaps the favorite biennial plant of all is the pansy which is probably the most recognizable plant and often grown as an annual in window boxes. Other biennial plants include sweet William. Foxglove, hollyhock, evening primrose and forget me not.
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