I’m rather excited about my sweet peas this year. They have just started flowering, and I can’t stop crouching over the willow obelisk to have a good sniff. All this is hardly unusual, but the real reason I’m excited about these sweet peas is that they are among the first varieties ever grown in gardens. And I think they’re the most beautiful. Some new cultivars are a little too showy, and come in some mildly disturbing colours as well. But ‘Matucana’ has a lovely scent and elegant wine-and-lilac petals.
I sowed these in February, and pinched out the growing tips when they had reached three or four inches tall. In March, when the weather had started to cheer up a little, I planted them out beneath my homemade willow obelisks, and have really left them to their own devices since. From now on, I’ll be giving them plenty of water, and deadheading regularly to encourage repeat flowering.
on Jun 1st, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Love sweet peas! Nothing beats a head full of their fragrance. Just like old roses, it transports me back to childhood.
on Jun 1st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I sowed mine in November to get strong plants for planting out. As it was with the winter we had the plants went out later than I had anticipated and to be honest they looked very tired. I think that all the pinching out over such a long period of time with the compost not being replaced made them weaker than if I had sowed then, like you in February. Lesson for next year.
on Jun 1st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Helen, I agree, I’ve never had any success with November sowings. My next door neighbour (king of competitive gardening) has been trying to tell me I’ve got it all wrong by not sowing them in the winter. He’s sort of avoiding me now the plants are flowering though…
on Feb 1st, 2010 at 5:47 pm
[...] year I grew sweet pea ‘Matucana‘ all over willow obelisks in my garden. I’ve always had an awkward relationship with [...]