I throw seeds in the garden and see what happens. This may be a primitive manner of planting, but it works for me. :) Just tossed Hollyhock seeds out there yesterday, in fact. Then I let nature take its course. Last time I did that I had hollyhocks for the next 5 years without lifting a finger.

Hello, Trillium 15: You will find (as a rule) that biennial plants have a crown of green leaves at the end of year one. Do not cut this but let it go into winter just as is. You might find some of the leaves died back at the start of the 2009 gardening season, just trim off anything unslightly. Also remember that MOST biennials have a long tap root, therefore a good idea to place them in their final (blooming) position by mid-August, let's say. Don't let them get too big in your growing pots. Otherwise, hard to transplant. Hollyhocks are pretty well foolproof and guaranteed to grow. Here in Ottawa, Ontario, foxgloves are tricky to overwinter. You need to position them "high and dry" - that is, you don't want the crowns getting waterlogged. So a raised bed, plenty of drainage are both good ideas. I tried many times to grow foxgloves and failed most of the time: the crown was soaked and rotted when the 2nd year started. So I have been growing "Foxy" - a variety sold by Stokes Seeds. Foxy can be started in the house under lights in February. I sprinkle a few seeds on top of a Jiffy 7 peat pellet pot. When the little plants are growing and I can see which is a strong and healthy one, I use fingernail scissors to trim back, eventually having ONE plant per pot. As they grow, I place the peat pot in a larger, regular pot with good potting soil. I feed the plants with 10-52-10 seedling fertilizer. By the time you are ready to place them in the garden, they will be the size of an African violet. These will bloom in mid-summer. They are fantastic, very beautiful. After a stalk has finished blooming, you can trim it off and the plant may send up a second stalk OR sometimes, the plant will surprise you completely by surviving winter and growing again the following year. This works for me and hope it works for you.

I would put these in the garden now and let them overwinter in the ground.