The very first sweet peas of the season have arrived, bringing their intense scent with them …….. carried indoors into an awaiting jam jar.
I love sweet peas – a quintessential Cottage garden plant. I hadn’t grown them before we moved to this new place and have had mixed results. The first Summer they did very well – growing up and over a hedge which was allowed to grow higher than normal . Last Summer they struggled in the drought – plus I had sown them in the wrong place – quite shallow soil at the edge of a bed. I had a handful of blooms before they succumbed to a bad greenfly infestation due to the heat and a shallow depth of soil.
This little group of sweet peas – a heritage variety bred for its scent – has been sown into deep rich soil to grow up an obelisk. I hope they will be able to withstand better any extreme weather and insect invasion.
Such a lovely color. Mine started out white and then morphed to hot pink years ago and they remain hot pink.
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Wow – that’s interesting! Are yours perennials? These are annuals. I’ve never had them come back the following year.
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Yes, beautiful colours. I’m really getting more appreciative of plants. A
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Thank you, Adrian! You’ll be going to the garden centre soon (she ducks out of the way) 🙂
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Going to the garden centre? Only in my nightmares, and even then with a BAG over my head …. 😉 …..
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Ha, ha! Here, there are plant nurseries rather than big chain garden centres which sell tat alongside plants. One favourite of ours is situated in the middle of nowhere along a steep, narrow, and precarious track, set in acres of land amidst farms. They provide free refreshments to visitors and you are allowed to walk all around the site. If you see a plant you like even if it isn’t labelled for sale, they will probably let you buy it. They are pretty knowledgeable too; a fab place!
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Hi, Sweet peas are utterly delightful! My attempts at growing them have been very disappointing.
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I understand that they prefer cool summers and to have their feet in deep moist soil. With climate change and the resulting hotter summers, sweet peas may not do so well. Maybe plant breeders are working on a hybrid which will cope better with the heat.
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enjoying the sight
and smells of these
beautiful sweet peas 🙂
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I’m happy that you are picking up the scent that I am wafting over to you 🙂
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I was told to pick them and then they would grow more – and yes, it works – we have a lovely bunch of fragrant flowers in the house, which lasts two or three days, and then when they have to be thrown out there are more sweet peas waiting to be picked. I will miss them when the season is over. Such beautiful colours, and such a strange shape. While I was typing this the smell of sweet peas came into my nostrils, though they are far away downstairs!
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Oh, yes – the regular picking really works! I do the same as you – every two to three days put the old ones on the compost and pick some more. Some experts recommend cutting off the tendrils and tying the stems in – others say to leave them. I tend to follow the former advice – it means the stems and buds don’t get distorted and bent. I noticed a couple of days ago the stems browning from the bottom (started after the recent spell of very hot weather) so the flowers might start to fade soon.
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