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sweetpeas
Posted by Bronwyn
I looove sweetpeas (fond memories of them growing in my grandparents garden near Orepuki when I was a kid) and now I'm 42 I finally have a place to grow them in my own garden. My husband has just finished a building project in the garden and I now have two venetian lattice fences to grow sweetpeas on. Now, any hints for growing great ones, well, any information at all would be great!
Re: sweetpeas June 16, 2006 12:37AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 5,388 |
Hi Bronwyn, we had a magnificent display last year. They started flowering in November and lasted until we pulled them out in March - still had some flowers but they were straggly.
I had some that self sowed from the previous year that we had left in the garden, but we also purchased 'dwarf ones' - yeah right The dwarf ones grew to the same height
This year we pulled them all out, and have kept the seeds, so will be interesting to see how they go.
But I am waffling sorry!! Apart from regular watering, that is all we did, so I don't know if there is anything extra - oh and I cut off the flowers as they died
Regards, Irene
I had some that self sowed from the previous year that we had left in the garden, but we also purchased 'dwarf ones' - yeah right The dwarf ones grew to the same height
This year we pulled them all out, and have kept the seeds, so will be interesting to see how they go.
But I am waffling sorry!! Apart from regular watering, that is all we did, so I don't know if there is anything extra - oh and I cut off the flowers as they died
Regards, Irene
Re: sweetpeas June 16, 2006 12:47PM |
Re: sweetpeas June 16, 2006 11:07PM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 1,144 |
Re: sweetpeas June 17, 2006 01:27AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 194 |
I'm no expert but love sweet-peas also and we have grown them before with mixed results.
The older varieties are usually the more fragrant ones but some of the newer ones are
more colourful. They don't like transplanting so best to plant seed directly where you want
them to grow in fertile soil. They like feeding and flower best and longest if you regularly
dead-head them.
The older varieties are usually the more fragrant ones but some of the newer ones are
more colourful. They don't like transplanting so best to plant seed directly where you want
them to grow in fertile soil. They like feeding and flower best and longest if you regularly
dead-head them.
Re: sweetpeas June 17, 2006 01:45AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 5,388 |
Re: sweetpeas June 17, 2006 01:58AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 336 |
Re: sweetpeas June 17, 2006 05:02AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 3,170 |
Hi Bronwyn
In my last house(2 storey) I had a trellis of sweetpeas on ground level. They would grow right up to the top deck and the perfume was superb. Make sure you have a well fed soil to plant in - compost or fertiliser. Unless your trellis goes right into t he ground you may have to give the tendrils a littlehelp to get to the trellis- I use string or sate sticks.
If you live in Auckland mildew can be a problem but I have only had this happen once. Sometimes the growth is so huge that the weight on the trellis is quite heavy, if there is a strong wind/gale the plants may peel off so I just run a couple of strings across( parallel to the ground) to give the plants support.
I found that using seed from previous years was hopeless- I got little weedy plants with inspid flowers.
I am in a new house with no trellis or fence- I miss my sweet peas but I am not beaten yet- I wonder if I really need a clothes lines for clothes from November to March?
Stephanie
In my last house(2 storey) I had a trellis of sweetpeas on ground level. They would grow right up to the top deck and the perfume was superb. Make sure you have a well fed soil to plant in - compost or fertiliser. Unless your trellis goes right into t he ground you may have to give the tendrils a littlehelp to get to the trellis- I use string or sate sticks.
If you live in Auckland mildew can be a problem but I have only had this happen once. Sometimes the growth is so huge that the weight on the trellis is quite heavy, if there is a strong wind/gale the plants may peel off so I just run a couple of strings across( parallel to the ground) to give the plants support.
I found that using seed from previous years was hopeless- I got little weedy plants with inspid flowers.
I am in a new house with no trellis or fence- I miss my sweet peas but I am not beaten yet- I wonder if I really need a clothes lines for clothes from November to March?
Stephanie
Re: sweetpeas June 18, 2006 03:12AM |
Registered: 17 years ago Posts: 534 |
I have grown sweetpeas for years and, as above the main musts are:
Soak seeds o/nght in warm water
They are gross feeders. I plant straight into our homemade compost or else you can use a good general fertiliser. Liquid feed fortnightly when they get going. [Flower and fruit-specific]
Snails and slugs love the new shoots so be sure to bait at planting. I never have real success with last years seed. Always spindly for some reason tho they get the same treatment. Besides which some lovely new ones come out each year, grown by that very clever man........Keith someone, the dahlia and s/pea man.
Cheers.
Soak seeds o/nght in warm water
They are gross feeders. I plant straight into our homemade compost or else you can use a good general fertiliser. Liquid feed fortnightly when they get going. [Flower and fruit-specific]
Snails and slugs love the new shoots so be sure to bait at planting. I never have real success with last years seed. Always spindly for some reason tho they get the same treatment. Besides which some lovely new ones come out each year, grown by that very clever man........Keith someone, the dahlia and s/pea man.
Cheers.
Re: sweetpeas June 18, 2006 10:30PM |
Admin Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 7,844 |
Re: sweetpeas June 19, 2006 08:27AM |
Registered: 18 years ago Posts: 140 |
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