Best Biennial Plant to Grow
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a stalk-flowering plant known for its height and attractive flowers. It regularly reaches head height or beyond – from 5 to 8 ft tall. The presence of Hollyhock in a garden can also attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
The Wild carrot is a common flowering plant with light, delicate flowers. Originally native to Europe and Asia, it has also spread to North America and Australia. Studies of historical paintings suggest that the Wild carrot was cultivated in Turkey, Spain, and North Africa for centuries.
The Black-eyed susan is a flowering black and yellow plant with curving leaves. It is culturally important in the Southern U.S., and is often used to attract butterflies to gardens. It long ago spread throughout North America and much of the world. Black-eyed susan is the state flower of Maryland and was important in the history of the University of Southern Mississippi.
Evening-primrose is an herbaceous perennial plant recognized by its yellow flowers which open in the evening and close again at sunrise. It is often cultivated as a decorative plant, especially in drought-prone areas. Native Americans cooked Evening-primrose roots as a food source but it’s said that consumption of this plant could cause headaches and diarrhoea.
Common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a herbaceous flowering plant naturally found in forests, heaths, and mountain grasslands. Common foxglove produces clusters of purple to white tubular flowers, with numerous dark spots on the inner surface. They are very attractive and commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Garden lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a hardy annual plant commonly cultivated as a leafy vegetable. The earliest evidence of its cultivation goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Its leaves are often used for making salads and they are an excellent source of vitamins K and A.
The High mallow is an ornamental plant with a large variety of cultivars. It has historically also been used to create a yellow dye. High mallow seeds are shaped roughly like cheese wheels, leading the seeds (and sometimes the plant itself) being called “cheeses.”
The Rose campion is an important ornamental plant and has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. It natives to Asia and Europe and now is widely cultivated. The Latin Silene coronaria stands for used for garlands and is sometimes referred to as *Lychnis coronaria* in the United Kingdom.
Red clover is widely cultivated as a fodder plant and green manure because its roots can fix nitrogen and increase the fertility of the soil. The cultivated Red clover is inevitably escaped and is now naturalized globally including the United States and Australia. Its flowers are attractive so it is cultivated as an ornamental plant as well.
Common chicory is used in a variety of culinary applications around the world, most commonly with coffee. It is occasionally also added during the beer-brewing process to inject a coffee-like flavor. The leaves can be boiled or eaten raw in salad or with pasta. Common chicory is also a simple livestock fodder. In European folklore, the small blue flowers could be used to magically open locked doors.
The Latin name Lunaria annua refers to the lunar shape of the Annual honesty seedpods, however, they are often referred to as Silver Dollars, Chinese Money or Money Plant due to their coin-like appearance.
The Beet (Beta vulgaris) provides a variety of uses for food products and garden growth. The roots are commonly consumed as nutrient-rich vegetables, the body of the sugar beet is used to make table sugar, and the leaves are harvested as a separate vegetable: chard. In 18th-Century Silesia, an area that is now part of Poland, the first-ever beet sugar extraction plant was created by a royal decree from the king.
Sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a flowering perennial plant related to carrots. It is native to the Mediterranean region, but is used throughout the world as a flavoring herb. Sweet fennel has a sweet aromatic flavor similar to anise, and is an important ingredient in absinthe. In the wild, it often becomes a noxious weed.
Brompton stock (Matthiola incana) is a flowering annual plant native to southern Europe. The Brompton stock is commonly grown as an ornamental plant and as a component of cut floral bouquets.
Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) has been cultivated by farmers and gardeners since colonial times. This herb has a thick stem and leaves covered with a layer of “fur” that feels like flannel. Today, it grows wild in many areas of the U.S., including roadsides and vacant lots. Flowers of Common mullein are occasionally brewed into a tea.