An update : although no flowers produced yet, it is taking a distinct shape now with many side shoots. I’m still none the wiser but as I mentioned at the start of the thread, it definitely isn’t Teasel.
Be sure to post some photos once they start. They are biennials, so if you collect and sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe, they will sometimes grow enough during the remainder of the year that they'll bloom the following year. Once you have them self-seeding, just remember to not weed-out any little yellowy-green 'lettuces' you may see appearing in the area. They are also easy to move at that stage.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
The RHS says annual or perennial, so I guess they are technically 'short lived perennials', but they don't flower in the same year if sown in spring and I have never had one survive after flowering, so they grow as biennials here. I start mine in seed trays as soon as the seed is ripe, overwinter in a cold frame and plant out in spring.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
Never seen chicory before so nice to have it doing well in the garden.
Should I gather some seeds and try to sow in the meadow or sow in pots? Or, is it likely to self-seed naturally when I cut the whole area down in Feb?
I always thought they were a perennial?