Sweet William

One of my favorite flowers is Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus). And this year in spite of, or because of, a hard winter and a cool wet spring I have the nicest ones I've ever had. Cousins of carnations, they come in shades of red and pink and white and combinations of those with a sweet spicy sweet smell that made them one of the plants called Gilliflowers in the past. They are also one of the longest lasting cut flowers.

It's time to plant them for next year. I'll plant a flat in the greenhouse and hold them in the cold frames until I have a spare spot in the garden for them. As biennials they grow vegetatively one year and bloom the following spring.