How Can Sweet Peas Epitomize the Cottage Garden
Sweet peas epitomize the cottage garden flower. Not that the sweet peas which we grow today were anything like the original ones grown by the early cottagers of England. Although introduced by a Sicilian monk in the late 1690s, it was not until well into the 1800s that- Henry Eckford first made any progress with them towards a reliable garden flower. Finally it was Silas Cole, head gardener to the Earl Spencer who made the major breakthrough that was to lead to the introduction of the present day Spencer sweet peas. Since then a number of different categories have arisen, embracing the multifloras galaxies and dwarfs. The cultivars that you select from these are a matter of personal choice. Sweet peas are available in a wide variety of colours and each season sees new introductions, most of which will be in keeping with our theme. It seems almost impossible to produce a brash or bilious sweet pea variety.
The Spencer sweet peas are tall growing plants, with frilled blossoms and a delicious fragrance, while the multifloras are less substantial but have an earlier flowering period. Galaxies have a large quantity of blossoms per stem but flower at the same time as the Spencers, while the dwarf kinds have typical sweet pea blossoms on much shorter plants.
Sowing and planting
Sweet peas can either be sown in the autumn and overwintered in a frame, or else started off under glass in the spring. A late spring sowing outside is also possible, although the flowering period is considerably shortened. Autumn sown sweet peas should always be grown in John Innes Seed Compost so that they do not make excessive soft growth before the onset of bad weather, whereas during early spring, when the compost takes a while to warm up, it is more prudent to use the lighter and warmer soilless type.
Irrespective of sowing season it is preferable to adopt the same cultural routine. Remember that sweet peas are members of the legume family and like other related plants dislike root disturbance. It is theoretically possible to transplant misplaced or additional seedlings successfully, but in practice they always suffer a check. That is why the majority of growers raise their plants in sweet pea tubes. These are made of a thick black papery material called whale-hide with a narrow top, deep sides and no base. Filled with compost and stood pot thick in trays they are the best way that I know of raising vigorous young plants. If two seeds are sown in each pot, the stronger seedling can be allowed to remain. Although with some mixtures it is wise to take a cross section of plant stature as different colours have different vigours. If you select all the stronger seedlings from a mixed batch you always end up with a preponderance of blue or purplish colours.
The plants must be carefully hardened off before planting outside if they have been raised in a glasshouse; good soil is an equal partner in the production of quality sweet peas and adequate preparation and the incorporation of well-rotted manure the previous autumn is a prerequisite. This latter is especially important as bud and flower drop are common maladies associated with a variable soil moisture content. A high humus content in the soil encourages a consistent moisture level.
Supporting sweet peas
At planting time it is vital to include your supports, as the pushing and poking with sticks or stakes around and amongst young plants after planting can be very damaging. There are several methods of supporting sweet peas, but the one that merits prime consideration in the informal garden involves the use of clumps of brush wood. These are made from very twiggy material, usually birch, and are pushed into the soil in a circle so that a twiggy column about 2 m (6 ft) high is created. If such material is not forthcoming, then a similar effect can be obtained by making a strong columnar or pyramidal framework over which netting can be stretched. This need not be of the permanent wire sort, but of the plastic material used extensively in the vegetable garden. Of course sweet peas can also be allowed to grow in and amongst other plants, but I have found maintenance very trying, although in the short term the effect is good. Sweet peas for garden decoration are allowed to develop naturally without pinching or removing tendrils. Such extravagances are for the showman, but having said that, if a sweet pea has not naturally broken and started to produce laterals by the time that it is 15 cm (6 in) high it should be pinched out. Otherwise routine summer maintenance merely involves watering regularly in spells of dry weather and removing faded blossoms and their stalks regularly to encourage a longer flowering season
