BBB: Sweet William

Reading other garden blogs, I don’t think Sweet William is in any danger of disappearing from the garden soon. Still, I think it’s an unappreciated plant. I can’t say I’ve ever seen it for sale. I think, as a biennial, it is probably difficult to sell to the average nursery-goers. Even the discriminating gardener finds its biennial habit frustrating. I remember reading Amy Stewart’s post in which she rails at the fact that no matter how large and robust the plant she buys, it still doesn’t flower until the second year.

Like the rest of my biennials, I grew Sweet William from seed, using the winter-sowing method. I don’t recall major problems with germination, but, as I only ended up with six mature plants, it could not have been that good. I planted them into the candycane bed last fall. They bloomed this spring.

One amusing aspect of growing plants from seed is that each is an individual – unlike the clones for sale at the garden center. (Not that I don’t like clones.) My plants vary a bit in stature, but the most striking difference is the flower color. They are all a deep, dark, almost black, maroon, except for one plant with cherry red flowers. The oddball plant adds a note of discord to my sweet curves. The scent isn’t as variable as color. They all possess a light, clove fragrance. I do wish it were stronger.

Like most biennials, Sweet William plants can last longer than two years, but still remain short-lived. I plan on direct sowing additional seed into the bare spots, between the plants, as insurance for next year’s crop. It does self-sow, but I’d like to experiment with deadheading in an attempt to encourage a second flush of flowers late in the season.

Summary
Germination: medium difficulty (but my seeds were old)
Culture: easy
Form: neat and lush
Scent: light clove
Color: shades of red and pink