sweetpeas 2
Heavenly Scent
The Sweet pea has long been considered as the Queen of annual flowers, since its introduction at the end of the 17th century. Henry Eckford (1823-1905), a nurseryman of Scottish descent, cross-bred and developed the sweet pea, turning it from a rather insignificant, if sweetly scented flower, into the floral sensation of the late Victorian era.
Next came the early waved or Spencer varieties, which were full of perfume. The modern hybrids, now allow the grower to invite a host of celebrities into the garden; Terry Wogan a soft charming pink; Lady Diana a very attractive sweetly scented bloom with very pale lavender pink flowers; Norman Wisdom bears big, sweet smelling white flowers, emerging from primrose-tinted buds. And who doesn’t need a little help from Alan Tichmarsh, an almost candyfloss pink, fading to cream, which tends to be a bit blousy and sulks in cold weather.
Sweet Peas are actually very easy to grow. In the South West in March or April, you can simply plant them in the soil where you intend them to grow and leave them to it. By July you should have flowers. However, to get the best from your seeds you should consider planting them in autumn or very early spring (February to March). This will help you to have stronger and earlier flowering plants. I prefer to sow around then as the plants tend to flower on into late August, which will hopefully provides you with blooms for the village show.
Sweet Peas prefer well-cultivated soil whilst adding a little well-rotted manure or organic compost will certainly help. For best results use named varieties or cultivars in good potting compost and do not overcrowd – plant 1 seed to a 3 inch pot or 6 to 8 seeds to a 6 inch pot. Place the pots in a cold frame or greenhouse and cover them with newspaper until the seedlings have germinated. If you are planting in January to February, your seedlings may need a little gentle heat to germinate. Make sure you stop the heat as soon as germination has occurred; otherwise your plants will get leggy.
Sweet Peas perform best in an open sunny site. If using the cordon method, plant out your seedlings 8 to15 inches apart in rows from March or April in your previously prepared site. Each plant should have its own cane to grow up along.
If you want to grow your plants naturally, set plants 8 to12 inches apart and give them something to scramble up such as a fence with pea net, or a wigwam of canes with some string or raffia for the tendrils to catch on to.
Make sure your plants do not suffer from lack of water but remember not to water during the hottest part of the day.
Enjoy the flowers which should start to appear from late May to early June. To prolong flowering ensure that the flowers do not set seed, take the flowers into the house and enjoy their scent.
First published July 2011 By the Dart
