Sweet peas - flowering time

Solid growth, I have tried to tame the unruly mess that peas always become
but there is only so much one can do

Last time I talked sweet peas was at the beginning of May when I was undertaking my least favourite stage - the planting out.  Its a lot of pot to fill and as we also had to perform a pot eviction, time consuming and labour intensive.  But that task done all that is left to do is plenty of watering, and sit back and wait for flowers.

The first bud, took ages to come to fruition 

Seeing that first flower bud forming is one of the best thrills of the early summer as far as im concerned.  What has added to that thrill is that my first bud formed ahead of my neighbour. I have mentioned before that the neighbour and I are in sweet pea competition.  He's not aware of this, but its happening. Being eighty-something and retired, I consider him at an unfair advantage, in both time and experience, so I was made up to peer through the fence and see his bushes bare while mine was just beginning to be spotted with colour.

Lots of flowers ready for cutting, everything seems to have a touch of white to it

Of course now he has steamed ahead, his seven pots and half a flower bed-full producing far more than they could possibly find vase room for, makes you wonder what on earth they do with them all.  But im doing all right.  That first bud appeared around the twentieth of May.  I thought it would be out within a few days, but turns out when your intently watching the one bud, it takes ages.  About eight days later it finally popped out, by which time my patience was gone.

A good barry dare, shock it to you pink

My first pot is doing me proud, producing new flowers every day and ensuring a steady stream for my kitchen windowsill. My second pot is just beginning to crank up a gear and pull its weight as well, which is great because the colours are different and add a bit more variety.  The third pot is still to come, but when thats up and running as well, I think my might achieve my dream of sweet peas from the ears.  I wont be happy until I am giving them away in the street.  Im already wishing I had sowed more seed, even though they are a total pain to plant out.  I went to a garden at the weekend with tonnes of sweet pea plants smothered in flowers, and it has totally put my meager supply in perspective.  More is so more when it comes to sweet peas.

A flirty pale pink

While I don't think any sweet pea variety can exactly be described as manly, I really have gone for an exceptionally girly palette, all pinks and reds, but considering I just bought random packets and threw them together rather than buying a collection, im rather pleased.  I will do a brief run-down of all my varieties over the coming weeks as its always nice to see pictures, real pictures rather than the advertising ones.  The only question is, where are my two orange varieties?!