Biennials / perennials to sow now?

[Mitzi]

I have a new flower bed to fill. It gets some sun in summer but none in winter. It was tatty lawn previously. I'd like to fill it as cheaply as possible i.e. from seed.

Am I right in thinking that a lot of biennials and perennials can be sown now for next year? Foxgloves, hollyhocks, honesty... aquilegias? Echinacea? Rudbeckias?

Any suggestions for easy-care plants (I don't have much time to be faffing about with the garden; I save that for my chilli plants) which will give me a good display next year - ideally throughout high summer and autumn, as the rest of the garden looks its best in spring.

[nickdub]

I have a new flower bed to fill. It gets some sun in summer but none in winter. It was tatty lawn previously. I'd like to fill it as cheaply as possible i.e. from seed.

Am I right in thinking that a lot of biennials and perennials can be sown now for next year? Foxgloves, hollyhocks, honesty... aquilegias? Echinacea? Rudbeckias?

Any suggestions for easy-care plants (I don't have much time to be faffing about with the garden; I save that for my chilli plants) which will give me a good display next year - ideally throughout high summer and autumn, as the rest of the garden looks its best in spring.

More or less correct in what you wrote and the choice of varieties, although hollyhocks are better in full sun - you could add Sweet Williams and also some perennials to the list like primulas.

Don't exclude annuals BTW best value flower wise for a limited budget, although you obviously wouldn't sow those until next year.

[Mitzi]

Oh I'd like lots of annuals such as cosmos, nicotiana (tall ones), opium poppies, red orache...

Back on the biennial / perennials, maybe cardoons and onopordums...

The bed isn't all that large so I may have to rein in my imagination on this one otherwise it will end up very "bitty" with one plant of this, one plant of that dotted around.

[shushkin!]

What sort of soil do you have Mitzi? My gardens are on Thames Valley clay and it has a large bearing on what will grow well as well as aspect etc. On this clay my foxgloves, astrantia, pheasant grass, Welsh poppies, aquilegias and pulmonarias seed all over the place. When you know your soil then you can more successfully choose the right biennials and perennials. I'm probably a lazy beggar but it makes gardening way easier if you grow with the flow lol

[Mitzi]

Acid clay, I think. Camellias etc do well, and the blue hydrangea hasnt turned pink.

[nickdub]

Acid clay, I think. Camellias etc do well, and the blue hydrangea hasnt turned pink.

In which case have a look at some of the Exbury Azaleas - beautiful flowers with lovely fragrance and not too big - probably cheaper to buy in the Winter though.

[Earthgirl Jen]

What shushkin said, I'm the same soil our road is spring is know and 'camellia road' lol... Also acers grow well (plant on the shadier side of the bed)
How about a pieris year round colour and interest and can be cut back hard. For my money my favourite at the moment is verbena bonariensis. 3ft high stems (that you can see your boys through) bees and butterflies love them all summer and finches like the seed heads in winter...
Just adding some thoughts?