Welcome to the Gardner's World magazine's Sewalong series, the podcast that inspires you to grow more from seed.

Thank you. Hello, I'd like to encourage you to grow something a little bit different by introducing you to one of my favourite biannials, Dianthus Barbatus Suti.

I'm Josie Lewis, head gardener at Sarah Ravens Cutting Garden at Perch Hill in East Sussex.

And here at Perch Hill, there isn't a year that goes by without her growing Dianthus Souti.

You may know Dianthus Barbatus as Sweet Williams, and Souti, as its name suggests, is a darkly coloured, rich chocolate maroon variety.

Some Sweet Williams, especially the bi-colours, can be a bit garish, but this is on the classy side. When you see fox gloves and other biennials starting to set seed in your garden or in the hedgerows,

then you'll know that it's time to get going with your

biennial seed sowing. Seed sewing at this time of year will germinate and grow leaves and

the plant will build up its root ball during the first year and then it'll burst into flower from

late spring the following year.

Sooty is easy to grow.

So your seeds from early summer onwards onto a peat-free multi-purpose compost.

We start ours off in seed trays and then pot them on when they're big enough to handle.

They can be kept in a cold frame over summer.

If you haven't got a cold frame, it's fine to leave them outside.

But don't forget to water them.

Leave them somewhere obvious, so those little plants don't dry out.

They can be planted out into their final positions in autumn,

or they can be overwintered in their pots in a cold frame.

It's better for them to have some protection over winter if they're sitting in pots.

They could also be sewn direct into the ground.

Try and choose a sunny spot to see them at their best.

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