Gardening tip of the week: sow biennials

The instructions on the packets of seed for biennial flowers tend to suggest May as the month to sow them, but I find June is quite early enough. Foxgloves, wallflowers, Sweet Williams and Canterbury bells (remember them?) can all be sown now in shallow drills in an odd corner of the vegetable garden. Water the bottom of the drill, then sow the seeds individually. Cover the seeds by shuffling along the row with your boots together, then very lightly rake out your footprints. Keep a record, both on a label and in your well-thumbed notebook. Your investment will be well rewarded.

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