Monday 16 February 2009

sweet peas


Last year was the best ever for sweat peas. they flowered continuously well into October. And the more you pick their sweet-scented flowers, the more they grow.

The only maintenance the plants need is the removal of tendrils and dead heading.

Their stems are wiry and very tough. Here, the seeds sown in November have struggled on through the coldest winter in a generation with no attention whatsoever. They were sown into potting compost contained in cardboard tubes (toilet paper tubes) and watered to get them going.

Now I know that there is a saying that plants thrive on neglect - but this is going some!

We'll need to give them some attention soon - the compost looks dry and when the soil has warmed through we will plant them out.


4 comments:

Amanda said...

I've sown some sweet peas this year and they're on an indoors window sill at the moment. I'm thinking of transferring them into the unheated greenhouse (before they get too big), but it is still getting down to -7C at night in there at the moment. D'you think that is too cold for them? Would hate to kill them...

Rosengeranium said...

Sweet peas are my favourite flowers! I may easy a bit on my self proclaimed ban on cultivating things that are not edible in favour of them.

Rob said...

Amanda
I wouldn't transfer them from warm window to freezer conditions. The shock won't do them any good.
Wait until there's a bit of warmth around if you can.
Cheers
Rob

Amanda said...

Yes, you're right - I've been putting them outside on the days when it's been above freezing, but don't think they're hardened off enough yet. Hurry up spring!