Sowing biennials

I know that this growing season has only just got underway, but you need to start thinking about sowing biennials such as foxgloves now if you want flowers in time for next year's growing season.

Biennial plants take two years to complete their life cycle, unlike annuals that take a year or perennials that take three years or more.
In the first year biennials will germinate and put on root- and leaf growth. In the second year they will flower, set seed and die.
Biennial seeds should really be sown now, but if you a running a bit behind on your garden jobs you have until the beginning of July to get the job done. You can sow the seeds indoors or out, as the plants are classed as hardy - it all depends on where you have the most space.

For sowing indoors fill seed trays, modules or 2in (5cm) pots with a seed and cutting compost. Tap the tray or pot on to a flat surface to evenly level the medium, then generously water (watering now will avoid seeds being washed away). Then sow your seeds - either on the surface and don't cover them for very fine seeds like foxglove, the tray or pot on a warm window sill or in a greenhouse. Keep them well watered, but not saturated.

For sowing outside prepare a seed or nursery bed by digging over the soil and removing any weeds, rake the soil to break up any large clods and water the area well. Then sow the seeds into a 1/4in (0.5cm) deep trench. Leave tiny seeds on the surface, but cover larger seeds with finely crumbled soil.

Your seeds should germinate within six weeks of sowing. For aftercare techniques see below:

12 of the best biennials

Althaea rosea (hollyhock)
Campanula media (Canterbury bells)
Cheiranthus cheirii (wallflowers)
Daucus carota (wild carrot)
Dianthus barbatus (sweet William)
Digitalis purperea (foxgloves)
Lunaria biennis (honesty)
Mattihola incana ‘East Lothian Stock’ (stocks)
Myosotis alpestris (forget-me-nots)
Rudbeckia hirta
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)

Aftercare of indoor sown biennials
Once your seedlings have grown large enough to handle they can be transplanted singly into 3in (7.5cm) pots of John Innes No2. Ease the seedlings out of their compost with a pencil or plant tag, making sure you don't damage their roots, then lift the seedlings by their leaves, never their stems. Firm each one gently into its new pot at roughly the same depth it was growing before. Water in lightly, and grow on in bright conditions under cover. Once the seedlings have established themselves in their new pot (the roots will begin to show out of the bottom of the pot) they can be hardened off and moved into a unheated greenhouse or cold frame. When next spring comes you can plant your biennials out into the garden - leave 10in (25cm) between each plant.

Aftercare of outdoor sown biennials
If you have sown your biennials into a nursery bed then you ill need to thin them when they reach 2in (5cm) tall, leaving gaps of 2in (5cm) between each. Seedlings that have been thinned can either be replanted in a different part of the bed or discarded, which ever suits you most. Keep the bed weed free and well-watered, but not soggy. When autumn comes transplant your biennials to their final planting position, again leaving 10in (25cm) between each plant. Try not to damage their roots when moving them. Next year they will come up again and flower.