Sweet William is a popular garden plant that is native to northern Europe and Asia. The plant usually grows about 2 feet (61 centimeters) high and bears dense, round clusters of velvety flowers. The flowers may be white, pink, rose, or purple, and they often are ringed or dotted with contrasting colors. Cultivated plants may bear double flowers. Gardeners usually cultivate sweet William as a biennial (a plant that requires two years to mature).
An unrelated plant native to eastern North America is known as the wild sweet William. This plant may grow 5 feet (1.5 meters) high. It has pink or purple flower clusters.
