Monday, April 12, 2021

Sweet Peas


 There is still time to get Sweet Peas started. 




  My seeds will be planted this week.


At least 2 to 3 weeks before planting start germinating seeds in a plastic bag.




  Place moistened paper towel and seeds into plastic bag. 
 Keep top open and place by window.






Check seeds a few times and rinse them in cold water  (to prevent  mildew) and return to plastic bag.  After  about 2 weeks your seeds will have sprouted and they are ready to be planted.  Sprouts look very tender but they are sturdy and are easily handled. 





"Wiltshire Ripples", everyone's favorite



 



It is the "odoratus"  and "fragantissima" varieties which have the most heavenly scent.  
Among the most fragrant Sweet Peas are the blue varieties.




Sweet peas love to be paired with other garden flowers.  







and Fruit







"Molly Rilestone"  maybe my most favorite Sweet Pea.

Have a wonderful week dear friends.
Gina



13 comments:

  1. We are starting a new garden and I said last week to Jane that I would like sweet peas - last year the ones we grew did not flower, but I feel we should try again.

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    1. Hello Professor,
      It happened to me as well. Sometimes sweet peas will not flower when they have been planted too late. I don't know what zone you live in but April is probably too late for them to be planted. They will grow and have pretty green leaves...but no blossoms. Don't give up. This year will be the year.

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  2. Dear Gina - the county where I live is next to the county of Wiltshire - where Wiltshire Ripple was bred by a Mr A Beane. It is a lovely Sweet Pea. The wonderful selection that you always have looks delightful and must imbue your interiors with such a wonderful scent when brought indoors.
    My closest neighbour is a Sweet Pea fanatic and during the last few days I have noticed him busily erecting his Sweet Pea wigwams.

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    1. Dear Rosemary,
      How interesting. I love the name Wiltshire. There used to be only one variety of Sweet Pea that carried that name. For several years now other colors have been developed that have the Wiltshire look but not the base color. My favorite is still the original.

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  3. Hello R's Rue
    Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. It is very much appreciated.

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  4. Dear Gina,

    We adore sweet peas. They are such gracious flowers and always give a carefree air to a room, not to mention the delicious scent. Perfect.

    Alas, we no longer have a garden, but these tips for germinating the seeds would have been very welcome. We tended to find them rather tricky to get started although once in the ground they grew prolifically. We miss gathering quantities for the house, but enjoy seeing them in their wide variety on flower stalls.

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    1. Dear Jane and dear Lance,
      Flower stalls, such an endearing custom of Europe. I actually put up a flower stall when we first moved to the country. It was a wonderful experience. I sold the bunch for $1. It was a lot of work so I raised my prices to $2 bunch. A boycott followed, but only for a few days.

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  5. Your flowers, your photos, and the way you write are beautiful and inspiring.

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    1. Hello Angelyn, Welcome. Thank you for your visit and your sweet comment. Our area (yours and mine) is finally getting warmer and flowers will soon make their appearance.

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  6. Dear Gina, I am so grateful for this advice on germinating sweet peas as I've had so little success with them in the past and have had to resort to buying seedlings from a nursery. The problem with that has been the very limited choice of colour and variety. Now I'm going to buy a range of seeds and try your method!

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  7. Dear Rosemary,
    I hope that it is not too late for your sweet peas. They love getting a cool start.
    Love your garden blog. Have become your newest Follower. Thank you for your visit.

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  8. Thank you for sharing so much beauty on your blog. We all really need that these days.

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    1. Thank you Sara and thank you also for your visit, It is so appreciated.

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