Sweet Peas

[Kathy & Laurie]

I decided to grow sweet peas for the first time. Last November I sowed some seeds into the specially purchased long root trainers as advised by Alan Titchmarsh. They did grow quite well over the winter in my unheated greenhouse. In early spring I sowed more seeds to extend the flowering season. Early June I planted them all out. Obviously the plants sown in November were a lot bigger but were close to being out of control straggly as I waited for all chances of frost to go.

But I am a bit disappointed in them. Yes the early sown plants are now about chest height and have one or two flowers on them, but picking them to get more flowers seems to defeat the whole idea in my opinion. As it leaves the plants with no flowers..

I am not a cut flowers person so I don't want flowers to take inside I want them in the garden.

If I don't pick any more will they not produce any more flowers and I end up with hardly any to help mask the wall I want them to cover? Hmmmm

I wonder if sweet peas are not for me. Am I being too "picky" and have lost the point?

Kathy

[ideasguy]

In my calendar, its very early in the season for Sweet Pea, Kathy.

My wife loves them, and last year I planted some in a large pot.
They werent in flower at this time of year! They started to produce in August, September and right up to winter.
When they got very tall, we put the pot outside our kitchen window. Standing at the sink, we had a beautiful display at eye level!
We had a lot of plants stuffed in there. Eventually they got out of control in height and girth and were about to topple over, so I took the shears and sheared them to shape.
They looked a bit shocked for a while, but they recovered and started performing all over again.

So, dont worry, you have lots of blooms to look forward to. I'd say they are only just beginning.

Incidentally, I was a bit short of time this year, so Ive purchased them as small plants. Ive planted up that pot again, and also put a bunch on a little obelisk in the garden. Pics later.

[Kathy & Laurie]

George did you pick the blooms constantly when they took off? Maybe I need to have more patience

I feel everything started to take off in the garden but seems to have stalled a little bit with the so-so weather recently. Lots of rain reasonable temps. but not enough sunshine.
I have planted sweet peas as I said against my neighbours garage wall which pretty much has constant sun, so will store the heat. The rest I put up Laurie's obelisk. These are the late sowing peas. They are about waist height now and one has a bloom starting.

I will watch them and see how things go!

Kathy

[ideasguy]

We took a bunches of flowers from them regularly, Kathy. They have the reputation of producing more blooms in response to cutting the flowers, and that does seem to work.

I forgot to say, our sweet peas were planted late, and are only 12 to 18in long at this moment in time, both in that pot and outdoors.

[Kathy & Laurie]

Looking back at this post....all in all I won't bother with sweet peas again.

I am not a "flowers in a vase in the house" type, so I was not picking them for that use

The picked blooms sadly ended up in the compost.

Don't get me wrong I like sweet peas, when in full bloom they look lovely, but...I felt I was just throwing them away.

So I have decided next year to grow Impomeas..or perhaps Black Eyed Susans.

Has anyone a preference between these two annual climbers?

Kathy

[ideasguy]

Ive tried growing the Morning Glories (Ipomoea) in the past.
They didnt do well. I concluded that they were unsuitable for Ireland!!

Our sweet peas are very reluctant to flower this year.
This has NEVER happened before. I'm putting it down to the cold wet miserable summer we've had.

We have a group of one variety in a large outdoor pot, and another variety in open ground.
Both have lots of growth, but theres only been a few flowers (and I mean less than you'd count on one hand) on the outdoor ones.
Nothing at all yet on the ones in a pot.

I'm still expecting a late flourish. I can see flowering stems about to start doing their thing, on both groups.

Now weve revived the topic, I'd like to hear comments from other members.
Did you grow sweet peas this year? How did they perform?
 

[Kathy & Laurie]

The sweet peas I grew flowered prolifically!! We were forever picking them.

That's why I felt I was wasting the flowers I kept picking to get more...

I grew some up an obelisk and some up a wall. The ones on the obelisk did the best.

Kathy

[Lyn and Malcolm]

No sweet peas here, sorry.

Kathy
Ipomoea from seed, germination ok, but don't plant too early, as they dislike the cool weather.
Much better, but would need protection from the winter, is Ipomoea Indica, which is perenial.
Quite a strong plant. We grow it in a large pot, and cut it down to about 1mtr before bringing in under cover.
During the summer it covers one side of the aviary, still flowering now.
Pictures of both flowers on our plant guide.

Malcolm

[Kathy & Laurie]

I tried Cobea Scandens this year...won't bother again. Far too much leaf in my opinion and its only in the last 10 days or so have any flowers appeared and not that many. I went for this instead of Ipomeas..

Seems pointless to get flowers on a climber that will be die very soon with the colder nights, into September!

I have a Clematis Crystal Fountain Malcolm in a pot with its own obelisk, I am running out of hard surfaces to keep more pots, they seem to breed overnight ;
Ipomea was one plant I thought I would avoid, as I get some of its wild and nuisance relative creeping under my fence.  However its not been such a problem this year as I moved my shed to the corner it used to come into my garden

You have given me food for thought, thank you

Kathy

[Lyn and Malcolm]

I am running out of hard surfaces to keep more pots, they seem to breed overnight ;

I know the feeling, we have a family of 132 ! 

Mostly tender plants.

Malcolm

[ideasguy]

Wonder of wonders - Ive had a look and both my batches of sweet peas have a few blooms!
Better late than never, I say 

[Kathy & Laurie]

Well actually, I think it was my hand-made obelisk that inspired our sweet peas to bloom so profusely.  They just couldn't let it down. 

A good sturdy structure to cling to with confidence. (I'm so modest as well.  )

Laurie.