Biennials take a little patience, growing leaves in their first year and saving their big moment for the next. But when they flower, they do it beautifully — tall spires, cottage‑garden charm and early‑season colour that bridges the gap between spring bulbs and summer blooms. They’re brilliant for naturalistic planting and for gardeners who enjoy a slower, more rhythmic cycle.

Angelica

All parts of Angelica plants are highly aromatic and they have traditionally been used for medicinal as well as culinary purposes. It’s good for including in wildlife planting as the flowers are attractive to pollinators and the seeds are eaten by birds.

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Daucas Carota

Daucus carota, also known as Queen Anne's Lace, is the wild ancestor of the domestic carrot and a common wildflower found in dry fields, roadside ditches and open areas. Easy to grow from seed and performs best in well-drained to dry soils, with low to moderate soil fertility. The lacy flowers appear in shades of rose pink, through burgundy to chocolate.Up to a thousand tiny flowers are produced in delicate, lacy, flat-topped, clusters up to 10cm wide. 

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Dianthus

Dianthus flowers are often called "pinks" - not because of the colour, but the jagged edges of the petals. They belong to a family of plants which includes carnations and sweet williams, and are characterised by the spicy fragrance the blooms emit. Dianthus plants may be found as a hardy annual, biennial or perennial and most often used in borders or potted displays. Dianthus flowers are most often in pink, salmon, red and white hues. The foliage is slender and sparsely spread on thick stems

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Digitalis

Digitalis, more commonly known as the Foxglove is a traditional cottage garden flower favourite. Tall elegant spires of trumpet shaped flowers in a wide colour range, including many shades of purples. Attracts bees and butterflies with its lightly sweet fragrance. Digitalis are superb for shady shrub and tree areas, back of borders and excellent for cut flowers. They can really bring the early summer garden alive! 

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Hollyhock

Hollyhocks are easy to grow and their blooms come in a wide range of jewel colours, flowering from early summer to autumn. Their tall spires look good grown against walls and fences and are stalwarts of cottage gardens. At the base is a clump of large, round, mid-green leaves. The perfect plant for the rear of borders where it will rise up to 5 foot, and more. Hollyhocks are fully hardy and don’t require any special treatment over winter.

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Brown seed pods with black spots on a white background

Honesty

Honesty, or Lunaria, is an old-fashioned cottage garden plant, known more for its seeds than its flowers. The distinctive flat, translucent papery pods, which hold the dark seeds, are often used in dried flower arranging but, if left on the plant, they're good for adding winter interest to the garden. The purple or white fragrant flowers in spring and early summer are very attractive to pollinating insects.

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Sweet Rocket

Sweet rocket, Hesperis matronalis, is a pretty biennial (that may act like a short lived perennial in the right circumstances), bearing white or purple flowers similar to Honesty. Leave them to seed themselves and they will maintain this diversity indefinitely, gradually naturalising over a large area. The flowers' fragrance is as sweet as a violets, and strongest in the evening. It looks good when allowed to drift, naturally through an informal sunny or partially shaded border, especially in a cottage garden or wildlife garden.

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Biennial Flowers to grow from seed

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