'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
Growing sweet peas from seed
SOWING TIME: January-March or September-October under glass; April-May directly outdoors.
FLOWERING TIME: May-October. Pick blooms regularly to prolong the flowering season.
PLANTING DISTANCE: 30cm (9"-1ft) apart.
ASPECT AND SOIL: Full sun, well-drained - support needed for tall varieties.
HARDINESS: Protect against frost.
DIFFICULTY: Quite easy - but wait until March if you are sowing indoors without a propagator or light source. Protect seedlings against bird damage with short twigs.
Grow at a glance:
sweet peas
ALTHOUGH seen as an English cottage garden plant, sweet peas most probably came from Sicily, or Malta.
Francisco Cupani recorded it as being a new plant on Sicily in 1695. He was charged with the care of the botanical garden in Misilmeri, near Palermo.
British botanist Dr Robert Uvedale introduced the sweet pea in his garden, with a herbarium specimen from 1700 surviving, now in the Natural History Museum.
Both men have varieties named after them - Cupani is a grandiflora heritage variety, similar to the old plant, with very strongly-scented small bicolour flowers.
Robert Uvedale made its debut in 2014, bright pink with large frilly blooms.
Silas Cole, a gardener working for the Spencer family (of Diana, Princess of Wales fame), bred a plant with bigger flowers and a wavy petal edge in 1900. It was bright pink and named Countess Spencer, the first of many 'Spencer' introductions.
Cottage garden plant's exotic heritage
Above, Cupani; below, Robert Uvedale.
Old Spice in early August.
Late winter & spring sowing
THERE are rituals surrounding sweet pea seeds: soaking them overnight to soften the seedcase; filing a spot on the coat.
I don't do either of these and have always had a good germination rate, as long as the soil is moist and the temperature constant.
Sow indoors, January-March, 1.5cm (½") deep, either five seeds per 12cm (5") pot of compost, or 3-4 seeds in a family-sized yoghurt pot.
Water well and place in a greenhouse, cool windowsill or thermostatically-controlled propagator at a temperature of 15°C (60°F). Keep the pots moist, germination occurs in 12-21 days.
Once through, make sure the seedlings have good light, to avoid weak, leggy growth. Pinch out the growing tip, when two pairs of leaves have formed, to encourage bushy growth.
Gradually harden plants off before planting out into well-drained soil, April-May, 30cm (12") apart and support with tall canes or netting. Protect from frost.
You can sow directly outdoors in April-May, where they are to flower, 1.5cm (½") deep. Sow two seeds together, every 30cm (12"), then remove the weaker. Easier, but flowers are much later.
Sowing for 2016
SWEET peas are sown! I've curbed my enthusiasm (ended up with nine packets last year, most of which I gave away), so there's just the three types.
I've gone for old standby Cupani again (£2.15, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk). You can't beat the fragrance and although the flowers aren't as big as some of the modern hybrids, they're an intense burgundy red/purple bicolour.
As a contrast, I'm trying Harrogate Gem from Matthewman's (£3, www.sweetpeasonline.co.uk), new for 2016, bred to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show. It's a long-stemmed variety with very large, scented frilly blooms.
Lastly, there's Singing the Blues, (£2.35, www.mr-fothergills.co.uk, but was a free packet with my order). It's a mixture ranging from rich deep blues to pastel shades.
Autumn sowing
SOME people swear by sowing sweet peas in pots in September/October, for earlier flowering, but they need to be overwintered in frost-free conditions.
Sow 1.5cm (½") deep, either five seeds per 12cm (5") pot of compost, or I find 3-4 seeds in a family-sized yoghurt pot works well, as they like a deep root run.
Water well and place in a greenhouse, windowsill or thermostatically-controlled propagator at a temperature of 15°C (60°F). Keep the pots moist, germination occurs in 12-21 days.
Once through, grow on in cooler conditions, making sure the seedlings have good light, to avoid weak, leggy growth, especially important when overwintering. Pinch out the growing tip, when two pairs of leaves have formed, to encourage bushy growth.
Overwintering seedlings
You're aiming for plants with maximum root growth, not top growth. Keep them in a frost-free place, such as an unheated greenhouse, porch or cold frame. They will survive temperatures as low as -5°C, but not prolonged freezing. Even if all top foliage dies off, if there's a strong root system, there's a chance they will recover.
The last thing they need is keeping them too warm, as that will lead to weak growth, susceptible to colder weather and pests. Give them plenty of ventilation - you should only have 4-6" of growth by spring.
Protect from slugs, snails and mice. Gradually harden plants off before planting out into well-drained soil, from mid-March (if your soil is drying out and warming up - if in doubt, wait), 30cm (12") apart and support with tall canes or netting.
Protect from late frosts with fleece.
Hi Scent.
Everyone's loving new sweet pea seeds and propagator worth £20
THANKS to everyone who entered my sweet pea propagator set giveaway with Unwins.
The winner is Nick Foxall, @Reddevilfox - hope you enjoy your prize - let us see pictures of the blooms in summer!
The Sweet Pea Seeds - New Varieties Propagator Collection, with a free Sweet Pea Growers Kit, is worth £19.95.
It includes six packets of seeds and a Sweet Pea Growers Propagator Kit, which includes Unwins Micro Snips and Sweet Pea Feed, worth more than £24 if bought separately.
The propagator includes a robust black base L68cm x W21.5cm x H20cm; 8 x 9cm cell seed trays; 8 x capillary mats; 2 x 2ltr Gro-Sure All Purpose Compost; 8 x ‘Push-In’ Plastic Labels and a weather-proof, UV Stable White Marker Pen with easy-to-remove ink.
The six fragrant sweet pea varieties are:
Little Red Riding Hood - red/white, powerful perfume;
Turquoise Lagoon - colour-changing blooms from pale pink to turquoise;
Cream Eggs - a modern Grandiflora type with cream petals and a purple edge which changes to vivid blue with age;
Misty Mountains - a sophisticated mix of whites, blues and purples;
Confetti - A delightful mix of warm pastel shades with rich purples and pinks;
Tangier Pea Rosea and Purpurea - A fast-growing species type in rose and purple.
Never mind if you didn't win, you can still buy the set at Unwins: http://bit.ly/1RskzkE