Best Biennial Plant to Grow
Common 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 Common hollyhock in a garden can also attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
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.
Common 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 Common 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.
The Common mallow is an ornamental plant with a large variety of cultivars. It has historically also been used to create a yellow dye. Common 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.
Tenweeks stock (Matthiola incana) is a flowering annual plant native to southern Europe. The Tenweeks stock is commonly grown as an ornamental plant and as a component of cut floral bouquets.
Mandevilla sanderi, colloquially known as Brazilian jasmine, is an ornamental perennial vine native to South America. Its velvety flowers are most often white, scarlet or pink in color. Brazilian jasmine contains white latex, which is toxic and can have an irritating effect when it comes in contact with skin or eyes.
The flowers of Canterbury bells (Campanula medium) are bell-shaped—hence the name. It’s a native southern European plant. In floriography, a coded language communicated through flowers that dates to Victorian times, it represents gratitude. It’s one of the flowers Thomas Jefferson grew at Monticello, his homestead.
Woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) is an easy-to-grow perennial. Famously known for its pretty blue flowers, this short-lived perennial is a great addition to flower beds, borders, and rock gardens. The specific epithet, sylvatica, means, “forest-loving.”
The Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri) is a spindly, flowering herb with a penchant for growing in cliff crevices. It blooms in spring with an abundance of fragrant flowers that can range in shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, brown, or white. Many gardeners prefer to plant Wallflower as a biennial, sowing seeds one year in order to protect the roots from a common infection known as clubfoot.
There are two thoughts on the origin of the Sweet william name. The first is that is was named after the Duke of Cumberland, William Augustus. The second is that the name came from the writings of Thomas Tusser, an English poet. In either case, this old-fashioned garden plant is a lovely addition to any space.