Leaves and roots the first year, then flowers the second: biennials such as foxglove, hollyhock, honesty and pansy take their time, and a cold winter only does them good. Sow them in full sun in rich soil amended with compost, give them room to spread, and the second-year display is spectacular.
Flowers can be either of the following:
Here is what sets them apart:
Perennials bloom every year, again and again.
Annuals will bloom only for a few months after planting or sowing. They’ll only last a single season and die off afterwards.
Biennials are special in that they have a two-year cycle. During the first year, they only grow leaves and roots. They bloom in the second year.
This is the case for instance for wallflower, carnation, viola cornuta (similar to pansy), cyclamen, spurge, foxglove, larkspur, hollyhock, honesty, sweet pea, borage… which are all very easy biennial bloomers to plant and care for.
In the vegetable patch, a great many easy biennial vegetables help space harvests over two years. These include delicious red beet, silverbeet, broccoli, celery, endive, cabbage, spinach, fennel, lettuce, corn salad, parsnip, leek and salsify.
Before choosing what to sow, it helps to know which of the three life cycles a plant follows. The table below sets the three side by side, since each one asks for a different kind of patience.
| Type | How long it lives | First year | When it flowers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perennial | On and on, year after year | Leaves and flowers | Every year |
| Annual | A single season only | Flowers, then dies off | A few months after planting or sowing |
| Biennial | A two-year cycle | Leaves and roots only | Second year, after a cold winter |
Pansy is the exception among the biennials, since it can already flower in its first autumn.
The foremost advantage of biennial plants is their hardiness. Living through a cold winter is actually useful for their development.
They can often simply be sown directly in the ground at the beginning of summer (June-July-August). It’s also possible for them to be planted in fall. In that case, they’ll sprout in the following spring.
The only disadvantage of biennials is that they require a little foresight. Indeed, you must purchase and plant seeds early in spring to make sure they have time to grow over the first season. That’s why nurseries often sell simple biennials as ready-to-plant seedlings. It’s perfect for gardeners in a hurry!
Biennial plants usually love full sun exposure and very rich soil amended with compost.
Give them space to spread. The more space they have, the more spectacular their blooming and harvest! Certain species such as the delicate Myosotis can even grow into a beautiful flowered ground cover. They don’t require any care at all, simply adequate watering and eventually a layer of protective mulch in winter.
Pansy is the only easy biennial flower that already starts flowering during the first fall season.
These are among the easiest flowers to grow from seed overall. Overcome any fear and start sowing them now!
Pansy comes in countless varieties with an amazing flush of colors.
Claire Lelong-Lehoang
Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Easy foxglove biennial by tee2tee under Pixabay license
