
Free garden planner — save plants, plan beds, and get sowing reminders for your spot.
Sign up freeDianthus barbatus
Classic cottage biennial with clusters of richly scented flowers. Sow in early summer for flowers next year. Short-lived perennial in mild climates if not allowed to set seed.
Lychnis chalcedonica
flowerA fellow Caryophyllaceae — similar growing habits to Sweet William
Start Sweet William indoors about 10 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in cooler soil (around 10–18 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 365 days.
Keep track of the seeds you own.
Water: Medium · Height: 60 cm · Soil: Well-draining, slightly alkaline
These three thrive alongside Sweet William — and alongside each other.