Sweet Sweet Peas

I don't appear to be able to construct anything that doesn't look terribly thrown together and haphazard which is so not the look I was going for

I had only two hopes for my sweet peas this year; quantity and variety and somehow neither of them I achieved!  That’s not to say I didn’t have any, there was a perfectly adequate steady supply that kept the vase on the kitchen windowsill permanently filled and the mother continuously irritated as they disintegrated every few days into the sink in a flurry of petals.  But I admit, I had higher hopes.  I hoped for great bush fulls and a supply so overwhelming I was giving them away to every Tom and Dick I came across.  Like my neighbours; they who like to torment me by literally growing thousands.  The man could actually go into business.  Not content with making me endure the sight of thousands over the fence in July they actually handed me an enormous bunch that sat in the kitchen laughing at my disappointment.  But I can’t deny it was very nice of them to give them to me, much as I would like to.

So onto the peas themselves: I grew four pots, five to six plants in each pot.  You would think that would be enough no?  Im always hanging over the fence having a good nosey at my neighbour’s technique.  He surrounds his plants with netting, presumably for the peas to intertwine through so obviously I followed suit but I have issues with this method.  General set up was bamboo cane for each individual plant, netting tied round outside, plants on inside.  However then they grow and all the flowers are trapped inside and you can’t get to them.  It seems to me that it would be a far better idea to plant the peas in a ring on the outside.  Last year I ruined my hands putting chicken wire round the plants at soil level to prevent mice but I abandoned that this year and yet my plants stayed intact.

A selection of the neighbour's vast quantities, with a couple of my own Lisa Marie's thrown in for luck.  Very nice but all very pink and purple

The mainstay of my stock this year, good old Lisa Marie.  A slightly more sophisticated colour I think you could say

I planted all the remaining seeds in my ‘Staffordshire Collection’ packet from Eagle Sweet Peas and despite there being ten varieties in the packet and one that I added, I only got five colours: red, pink, cream with pink, silver and plum and purple which only compounds my belief last year that a considerable amount of my seeds were duff.  Of all my plants 75% were the pack I bought individually; ‘Lisa Marie’ a plum on silver that I had quite liked but have now had my fill of.  Clearly if you are in the market for a reliable grower then that’s the one to go for.  Although less numerous than my neighbour’s, I like to think that the colours of mine were more distinctive and of course smelt divine; so at least thats something.

One problem I have really encountered this year with my sweet peas is greenfly, and by problem I mean serious problem.  Two of my pots were smothered, while the others had none.  I took to shaking each flower vigorously before it was allowed indoors, but even then there have been greenfly everywhere.  Just the other day one was taking a wander across the breadboard when I went to make a sandwich.  Many flowers did not survive this slightly rough approach but it was necessary.  I was sent this link on pesticide free gardening which has some interesting sprays you can make up to rid yourself of such irritants.  Apparently like vampires, aphids are not fond of garlic.  Clearly I have not tried them myself as I still have greenfly so I can’t say whether they work or not but worth a try next year I feel.

http://www.fix.com/blog/pesticide-free-gardening/

Might want to be a bit circumspect about giving this a good sniff, could end up with more than just a whole nostril full of scent

I finally pulled out my sweet pea plants last weekend as flower production had slowed right down.  As nice as the colours were, I am really looking forward to growing some different colours next year and will be keeping my beady eye out.  While buying a big packet is more cost effective it is fun to change the varieties up when you have put all the effort in of growing from seed.