Flowering Vines

Sweet Peas On My Mind

Sweet pea collage
The fragrance of  sweet peas, as distinct a fragrance as that of Lily of the Valley or Viola odorata, wafts in and out of my January garden dreams. In New England, it is the dreams of the next season's garden which keep the mind active while the gardener's hands are somewhat idle. The only exercise the hands are getting these days is in the turning of plant catalog pages and searching for information on the internet to improve the success of the next garden. Revisiting the photos of those gardens which I have visited in the past also provides inspiration for Garden 2021. I have been fortunate to travel to the gardening capitol of the world, the UK. Yes, I stand firm on this point. Gardening in the UK is a national past time and the proof is in the publication of the National Garden Scheme Handbook which lists over 3,700 gardens, both public and private, within the UK which are open for visits during specific times during the year. Our comparable organization, The Garden Conservancy, is close to having the same amount of featured gardens in our country which is 40 times larger with 11 out of 50 states that are bigger than the UK. I digress, back to sweet peas. Sweet peas in early MayI did grow them in 2019 with some success. Sweet peas are a cool annual, vining flowering plant, Lathyrus odoratus. Brought to serious cultivation in the UK in the early 1700's after their discovery on an island in the Mediterranean, I can only imagine it was the fragrance which captivated the plant explorer who happened upon them. You can read more about the history of the development and breeding of sweet peas here on Sarah Raven's blog if you so choose. Many of the large private gardens which I have visited in England grow sweet peas  as we here in the US grow zucchini. One would never complain about an abundance of sweet peas. When I grew them I planted them along the fence on poles attached to a top support. They grew fairly well and I did have an abundance of flowers but this year I have ordered my seeds from Owl's Acre who offer exhibition Spencer varieties-yes the very Spencer family of the famous Princess Diana. These varieties have longer stems which are easier to cut and make a better bouquet. They do come in a wide range of delicious colors. From chardonnay through merlot, the allure of the sweet pea is hard to resist. Sweet peas require a fertile, well drained soil and with hardening off, will tolerate frost. They need attention to watering through dry spells and they are heavy feeders although nitrogen should be the more limited element in a complete fertilizer. I will use Fish/Seaweed fertilizer for a liquid feed. I planted the sweet peas out at the end of April in 2019 but this year, I will aim for an earlier planting date. Planting any early crop is very weather dependent here in New England as there can still be a bit of snow on the ground or frost in the ground. Instead of the single angled support, I will adopt this tee pee shaped support. Training the peasIt is attractive as well as functional and gives the gardener access to cutting and viewing from both sides.  Sweet peas can also be grown on tripods which are freestanding in the garden or you could put a tripod in a large container on your patio for an up close scentsational experience. Tutuer and sweet peasHey, that is a good idea and one which I will employ if I don't forget. I have seen sweet peas for sale in pots at garden centers in the spring so if you are not willing or don't have the time and space for growing plants from seed, you can  buy the plants and pot them up yourself for a wonderfully fragrant addition to the patio or back door step. I will start my seeds around the first of March on heat mats and under lights in the basement. Sweet peas have a thick seed coat and many experts advise soaking the seeds or nicking them with an emery board or file. I find that less is more and even soaking is not required. They have germinated quite well without that added step. There is much instruction to be found on line for the growing of sweet peas but I did find this little gem written by George Ball in the 1900's on growing sweet peas for production.  If you are truly enthusiastic and want to have an abundance of sweet peas, you will find great information in this publication which can also be purchased here on Amazon. 

A Riot of sweet peas
Sweet peas are on my mind, in my heart and with luck, in the garden growing this coming season. There is no more perfect garden than the one in the imagination.

Layanee

Lost in Lavender!

High 82 F
Low 59.2 F
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In my travels this week I came across a stunning wisteria vine.  Wisteria, at its' best, is a fragrant bower of unsurpassed, unique,  delight!  To happen upon one in full bloom is memorable. Dsc_0003 I don't know many of us who look forward to a trip to the local grocery store.  At this time of year, when this wisteria is in bloom, the monotony of the task of grocery shopping is overshadowed by the residual 'high' after walking beneath this particular arbor.  While I was photographing this vine, several people stopped and looked at this one with wonder and curiosity   One woman asked me if I knew what it was.  I didn't think there were many people who have made it to middle age and still don't know what wisteria is but, apparently, I was wrong.  The positive here is that this person actually took notice of it.  Some just walked on by! There are two popular species of wisteria, the Japanese wisteria, Wisteria floribunda and the Chinese wisteria, Wisteria sinensis.  The one in this picture is twining  counter clockwise (I think) which is a trait of the Chinese wisteria.  One of the most common horticultural questions asked is 'Why isn't my wisteria blooming?' There is no easy answer to this question.  I know that this particular plant must thrive on neglect as it is in between the parking area and the driveway to this particular store. If you are going to purchase a wisteria it is advisable to pick one that is blooming and pick a named cultivar.  I have heard complaints of ten year old vines which have never bloomed.   Dsc_0007    Nitrogen fertilizers should be avoided but super phosphate can be used to try to induce blooms.  Judicious pruning is advised on a regular basis cutting back vigorous growth to 3 or 4 buds.  Wisteria is perfect only when it is in bloom.  At its' worst, wisteria is a thug which can trample everything in its path.  This is more of a problem in zones 7 and south.   I don't  currently own a wisteria but should I ever put up a sturdy arbor or pergola, I will definitely consider one as its' spring fragrance is as memorable as that of lily of the valley or lilac.  I can't wait to pick up a few items at the grocery store tomorrow!   

Layanee