Sweet William

Many stories abound to where the Sweet William flower name comes from Whether it is named after Prince William the Duke of Cumberland, Saint Williams of York, or William the Conqueror. I am not sure of this but I do know that my brother in law was named after this beautiful flower as my mother in law loved it so. She always grew it in her garden and enjoyed it daily just as she refereed to her son as Sweet William. 

Sweet William is a biennial color flower. A biennial plant grows for two years and blooms in the second year. The flower is native to Europe and can be grown all over the U.S. There are several varieties of Sweet Williams in both perennials and biennials. Plants will grow from 7 to 18 inches tall and grow in clusters ( to me resembling bouquets) in gardens. Colors of white, red, pink, crimson, scarlet, purple and bi-colors are available. The plant stays small and grows between 12 inches to 24 inches.

The small size of Sweet Williams makes them great for containers and pots. Grow them in pots in window baskets or vertical planters. These small plants look beautiful in front of flower gardens. When they are in bloom the small size makes beautiful cut flowers and look awesome in vases. 

Sweet William grow from seeds. It is easy to directly place the seeds into your flower garden or seed them indoors to transplant at a later date. To achieve spring blooms start the seeds inside between 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost ( in our area it is time to seed now) Transplant the seeded plants directly into the flower bed after the last frost date. Plant six inches apart they will tolerate a bit of crowding. Use them to fill in a flowerbed or as a border edge. 

Sweet Williams should be grown in full sun. Rich, loose soil that drains well is the best. Use a general fertilizer to plant and then repeat that once a month. Plant grows quite well if needed during dry times water once to twice a week. 

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