Sweet smell of success from a lover of sun
Sweet peas are often considered to be the scent of summer. Everyone seems to love them. I haven’t grown them for some time but they aren’t all that difficult to cultivate; once you give them the right conditions, they will flourish. So, this year I am doing the deed and growing sweet peas.
But for something which smells so sweet, Lathyrus is a bit of a dirty eater – and a glutton. To help it achieve its true potential, it needs plenty of muck around its roots. The more well-rotted manure it can get, the better.
Normally, if you want the strongest, the fittest, the best sweet peas possible, you are advised to sow the hard-coated seeds in autumn, wait for them to germinate and eventually turn into healthy young plants to be planted out in early spring.
But if you missed the autumn sowing, you can still sow the seeds. Some gardeners soak them for 24 hours or chip them, nicking the hard coating with a sharp knife. This encourages germination.
Pop one seed into a pot filled with decent compost, water them well. They may need a bit of heat to germinate but you are aiming for strong compact plants so bring them up ‘hard’. When the first four leaves have formed, nip out the top two to encourage bushiness.
Keep them in a coldframe or a cold greenhouse but don’t pamper them other than to give them plenty of light and air. Close the frame or greenhouse door and windows only when bad weather is forecast. When the threat of frost has gone, the sweet peas can be planted outdoors in the spot where they are to flower – where the soil has been enriched with all that healthy manure or other good organic material.
Sweet peas love the sun and they love to climb, so the base of any south-facing wall or fence should do fine for a home. Alternatively, tie them to canes or let them twine their clinging tendrils through the foliage and stems of other plants.