sweet william

Hi,
I grew SW from seed last year not realising they are biannual Doh!
So this year hoping for great things, starting to flower now.
What happens after they finish flowering, do they die back, carry on as foliage only?
I have started some off this year to replace them as I assume they wont flower next year.

Cheers
D

 

They are perennials so theoretically should come back every year, but most people treat as biennials after one year's display/cut flowers. I leave my beds in place for 2 years before rotavating them out as I continually plant fresh beds in other locations each year, the oldest one coming out immediately after the last flowers have been picked before the bed. But that's how I do it for cut flowers, rather than for display in a garden, so I'm not worried whether it's looking a bit tired or thin.