Time to plant Sweet Peas.
08:30:00
If you still have flowers blooming in your garden after all this hot weather, then hats off to you.
Its been very quiet here in the garden and as for flowers, well on the Dahlia front, basically I've given up. From a dozen or so tubers that I planted, only one has bloomed and it has rewarded me with only two lovely maroon blooms, all of which have crinkled up and are dying in the scorching heat that has been the beginning of Autumn. Add to that, Oliver snapping one of them off and Ive thrown my hands up in the air.
Thankfully I have another favourite flower to grow with which I have had much more luck with and I came across a lovely little reminder in a magazine recently that informs me that it is time to plant Sweet Peas again.
I can hear the garden gods singing already!!! Laaaaaaaaa!!!
Did anyone else know that March 17, St Patricks Day is 'THE' day to plant Sweet Peas?
According to tradition, Australians should sow or plant their Sweet Peas before sunrise on St Patricks Day, March 17 which will apparently give the largest and most fragrant blooms.
Large and fragrant blooms? Oh I am already there. A sunrise shin-dig out in the garden on the other hand, I think not!! Lets just get the seeds in the ground shall we?
I have had much success in growing these precious, sweet smelling gems from seed and i have posted about them many times in the life of this blog.
They have bloomed and blossomed with very minimal effort as you will see from some of the pictures quite to satisfactorily large proportions. In fact, they are that easy to grow I didn't even have to plant any last year as a handful of seeds self-seeded all on their own. Winning!!!
There are a myriad of varieties and colours to choose from and I think they are all fabulous. From pinks to purples and gorgeous white, there is certainly a variety and colour to suit your very own garden.
They have bloomed and blossomed with very minimal effort as you will see from some of the pictures quite to satisfactorily large proportions. In fact, they are that easy to grow I didn't even have to plant any last year as a handful of seeds self-seeded all on their own. Winning!!!
There are a myriad of varieties and colours to choose from and I think they are all fabulous. From pinks to purples and gorgeous white, there is certainly a variety and colour to suit your very own garden.
Here are some tips I thought id share with you on growing some Sweet Peas.
- Plant seeds or seedlings in a sunny spot in the garden.
- Place a support next to the plant so that they have something to grow up and over on.
You can see some great ideas for this here.
- It is recommended to dig in plenty of compost into the beds where you are planting the Sweet Peas. We have always used composted cow manure here, straight from the cattle yards at the farm and they just grow and grow and grow.
-Some of last years seeds grew in a 30x50cm patch of dirt at the end of the veggie patch that was rather compacted with not much compost there at all and I still managed a beautiful crop of Sweet Pea blooms. They are certainly very hardy plants. Sweet Peas also love the soil to be slightly alkaline and a sprinkling of Lime or Dolomite before planting will certainly help them along.
-Some of last years seeds grew in a 30x50cm patch of dirt at the end of the veggie patch that was rather compacted with not much compost there at all and I still managed a beautiful crop of Sweet Pea blooms. They are certainly very hardy plants. Sweet Peas also love the soil to be slightly alkaline and a sprinkling of Lime or Dolomite before planting will certainly help them along.
- Be patient with the seedlings. Ive found that they do take a while to get going and I have often wondered if they are even growing at all. However, once Spring hits and the days become a little warmer again, they will go crazy and you will find there will be shoots coming out from all directions. They create a lovely rambling effect in the garden, a little messy perhaps, but I love it!
- I have read that they can be a tasty treat for snails and the like, however I have never really had any issues. Simply placing a plastic ring, cut from an old plastic pot or container will protect the plants as they establish.
-Enjoy the flowers and be sure to cut plenty of them to be placed inside the home to be enjoyed not only for the pretty blooms but that gorgeous Sweet Pea scent. Picking them of course encourages lots of new growth and flowers.
-Leave the seed pods to completely dry out if you can spare any of the flowers as they can be saved and stored, ready to be planted next St.Pats Day or whereabouts. The seeds rattle in the pods when you shake them to tell you they are ready for saving.
-Leave the seed pods to completely dry out if you can spare any of the flowers as they can be saved and stored, ready to be planted next St.Pats Day or whereabouts. The seeds rattle in the pods when you shake them to tell you they are ready for saving.
-If you miss St Patricks Day for planting on March 17, dont despair as its perfectly fine to plant them anytime in the southern states throughout March and April.
Anything else you think I have missed?
I found this great gift idea for St Patricks Day over at Brisbane Kids so that you can share the Sweet Pea Love with friends and family. This is a great one for the kids and I have plenty of seeds saved from last season's crop so we might just have to give it a go.
Time to get planting then. Off you go!! Oh and dont forget a Guiness to enjoy and celebrate your efforts and of course for St Pat! To be sure, to be sure....
I found this great gift idea for St Patricks Day over at Brisbane Kids so that you can share the Sweet Pea Love with friends and family. This is a great one for the kids and I have plenty of seeds saved from last season's crop so we might just have to give it a go.
Time to get planting then. Off you go!! Oh and dont forget a Guiness to enjoy and celebrate your efforts and of course for St Pat! To be sure, to be sure....
Thanks for visiting today.
Elisha xx
2 comments
I did know that about St Patrick and sweet peas! I've grown them the last couple of years up the side of the kids cubby house. I saved the seed from the last lot, so I better get planting :D
ReplyDeleteI am thinking that the kids cubby is where mine will go too this year. Do you put them straight in the ground or pot them up first?? They are so hardy either way hey!!
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