Tania
1st January 2009, 07:10 PM
From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plantprofile_sweetpea.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/images/plants/sweetpea.jpg
Sweet peas give a sensational show of exquisitely coloured flowers on floppy, scrambling stems that need supporting. The best have a rich scent that carries right across the garden.
Unless growing the dwarf kind, you’ll need a bamboo wigwam around which to place the young plants. They can also be grown through shrubs or up supports for other climbers. A good show takes up quite a bit of space. You’ll also need to allow room to get close to keep deadheading, pick cut flowers and inhale the terrific scent.
Site and soil preferences
Sweet peas are hungry plants that love rich soil with plenty of added humus, and as much sun as they can get.
Pinching out
Encourage vigorous growth in sweetpea seedlings by pinching out the tops of the plants when they're a few inches high. This encourages lots of bushy side growth and more flowers.
Saving seed
Seed can be easily saved from the previous year's plants, although not all varieties reproduce exact replicas of the parent. Remove the seed pods from the plants and put them in a paper bag to dry out. Once they're dry, the pods can be popped open to release the seeds. If you plan to store the seeds, keep them in a cool, dry place.
Seed sowing
Plants are traditionally sown in pots in the autumn, as this produces sturdy specimens that'll be ready for planting out early next spring. They're quite hardy and can be safely grown in a cold frame. But they require occasional extra protection during periods of extreme cold and hard frosts. Or, in spring, sow seeds directly where you want them to grow.
To get a high germination rate, pre-germinate the seed on a sheet of damp kitchen paper. After a few days, the viable ones swell with water and a tiny root will appear. They can then be sown in pots of multi-purpose compost. The resulting seedlings should have their growing tips pinched out when they've produced two pairs of leaves, to encourage side shoots. This is important, because the original shoot will often fail to flower.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/images/plants/sweetpea.jpg
Sweet peas give a sensational show of exquisitely coloured flowers on floppy, scrambling stems that need supporting. The best have a rich scent that carries right across the garden.
Unless growing the dwarf kind, you’ll need a bamboo wigwam around which to place the young plants. They can also be grown through shrubs or up supports for other climbers. A good show takes up quite a bit of space. You’ll also need to allow room to get close to keep deadheading, pick cut flowers and inhale the terrific scent.
Site and soil preferences
Sweet peas are hungry plants that love rich soil with plenty of added humus, and as much sun as they can get.
Pinching out
Encourage vigorous growth in sweetpea seedlings by pinching out the tops of the plants when they're a few inches high. This encourages lots of bushy side growth and more flowers.
Saving seed
Seed can be easily saved from the previous year's plants, although not all varieties reproduce exact replicas of the parent. Remove the seed pods from the plants and put them in a paper bag to dry out. Once they're dry, the pods can be popped open to release the seeds. If you plan to store the seeds, keep them in a cool, dry place.
Seed sowing
Plants are traditionally sown in pots in the autumn, as this produces sturdy specimens that'll be ready for planting out early next spring. They're quite hardy and can be safely grown in a cold frame. But they require occasional extra protection during periods of extreme cold and hard frosts. Or, in spring, sow seeds directly where you want them to grow.
To get a high germination rate, pre-germinate the seed on a sheet of damp kitchen paper. After a few days, the viable ones swell with water and a tiny root will appear. They can then be sown in pots of multi-purpose compost. The resulting seedlings should have their growing tips pinched out when they've produced two pairs of leaves, to encourage side shoots. This is important, because the original shoot will often fail to flower.