Sweet Peas 2021….

[greenishfing]

The best sweet peas I ever had came up on there own when I hadn't cleared away the year before in a hurry and they self seeded. They were so strong and grew completely outdoors. My first ones from this year are nearly done but I'm letting them go to seed now. The follow ons are just considering giving me flowers. Maybe today's sunshine will convince them.

[nickdub]

I sowed mine around January, and they're still flowering well now. If you want really early ones you're probably going to need to bring them on in a greenhouse or conservatory before you plant them out. One sowing where you leave some outside and keep the others inside ought to cover a whole season easily enough. The key to getting the plants to last is putting them in the ground around mid-March, so they can really establish a strong root run while the soil is wet.

[Babru]

Reading everyone's posts, it looks as if the best plan is to sow in autumn (October?), then January/February, then mid May (14 weeks for Nicos), for a continuous show that starts early and keeps on till the frost.

[Purple Primrose]

My first lot of seedlings were eaten by slugs so I had to plant another batch quite late and they didn't start flowering until a month ago. They've still done better than the small plants I bought from the garden centre last year and are now looking beautiful, smothered with flowers. Great scent too.

[Bren In Pots]

My sweet peas are getting ready to finish the stems are getting shorter and unless I pick them daily they soon go to seed.
Im still keeping 4 vases going so I think they’re done well.

[Nicos]

14 weeks from sowing and the first flower is just staring to open!

[annie8]

Cleared one of the obelisks of sweet peas yesterday. They were starting to yellow and the speed at which they were going to seed was getting silly. Had thought I could keep them for another week but they also had greenfly so just ripped them out. Leaving the other one for now as will want to save seed for next year. Been a really good show, but because they were sown in autumn I guess they run out of steam by this time. Might be tempted to do mix of autumn and spring sown next year to try and have continual flowering.

[Peteyd]

That sounds like a nice one, I'll look out for it.

They are quite different.

we got the from here https://www.plantsofdistinction.co.u...ambridge-2253b

[Babru]

we always save our seed and buy new too. we do half and half. this year our new seed was duchess of Cambridge which change colour after picking which is nice.

That sounds like a nice one, I'll look out for it.

[Peteyd]

we always save our seed and buy new too. we do half and half. this year our new seed was duchess of Cambridge which change colour after picking which is nice.

[Nicos]

Mine have just started producing miniature flower buds.
I’m feeding them but the bottom leaves have started to turn yellow/ brown during the past week.

If we have a mild autumn I’m still hoping to get a decent crop of flowers, Bit of an experiment tbh as they were sown very late.

[Babru]

I'm hoping mine keep flowering for longer, I took them out in October last year. I have two obelisks, and one has a lot of greenfly, which I don't want to bring in the house. The other is still pickable though. I have some tiny little vases (were air freshener things with sticks I got from a friend), which are ideal for little bunches with short stems.

[bramble]

Still picking mine but like others saying they are going past their best and have shorter stems.
I have saved my own seed for several years now but will buy some new next season as a lot of them are just mauve and white.
How quick the season passes.

[Gearoid]

Mine are still going but I think I picked my last vase today. I'm going to let the plants go to seed now so I can collect for next year. I liked this heirloom variety "America" and want to grow it again.

[annie8]

Mine are slowing up now. Going more quickly to seed and the stems are shorter. Been really good show though. Has anyone tried Jimmy Shand? Was thinking about growing them next year.