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johnjoe

By Johnjoe

Ireland

My wife loves sweet Williams when is the best time to plant them, does it really take two years for them to flour




Answers

 

Spring now, next year September/October. They are Biennials so they grow one year and flower the next. Sow the seeds in May and grow them on for planting out to flower the following June.

26 Nov, 2010

 

Or, next spring (2011), buy plants that someone else has sown in spring/ summer 2010 and grown on. They'll flower in summer 2011. That's the quicker way to please the missus.

26 Nov, 2010

 

Thank you Bettie good idea

26 Nov, 2010

 

They sell these as box bedding in garden centres in September/October - planted then, means they'd flower next year, but you're too late for that now, Johnjoe. If only you'd asked 6 weeks ago...

26 Nov, 2010

 

if you do as Owdboggy says and then-- when the've flowered always save the seed and sow it then you should always have some in flower

26 Nov, 2010

 

I'm sure I've seen these and bought them in the spring, Bamboo. :-? I remember being impressed at how fast they got going.

26 Nov, 2010

 

Seen them sold in flower in Spring, you just pays more for them than you do in September.

26 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Owdboggy, the last time I bought them must have been about 10 or 11 hears ago.I Kept meaning to buy them.When I went to look for them I was either to early or to late. So this spring I will look for one year old plants.P.S.have I got it right this time. Manny thanks ---John

26 Nov, 2010

 

A few of the shorter varieties will bloom the same summer, if they are planted early enough in the spring, John. Look for "annual type" Sweet Williams.

27 Nov, 2010

 

Never had any success myself with flowering them the first season. You need to sow in heat very early and we have not got a heated propagator.
In a way 'biennial' is a misnomer. The plants often described this way are short lived perennials and some will survive longer than one would expect. Also the plants are not 2 years old at flowering, rather they are 12 months old. Sown in May of 2010 they would begin to flower in May 2011. This is the difference between them and 'annuals' which can flower at 3 months old or even less in the case of some annual ephemerals (2 to 3 days for some weeds!).

27 Nov, 2010

 

you might be right Beattie - I couldn't remember if they were available in the spring as box bedding as well. Be good if they were Johnjoe - they will flower next summer.

27 Nov, 2010

How do I say thanks?

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