A Sucker For Sweet Peas

– Posted in: Garden Design

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I admit it! I’m a sucker for sweet peas. Always have been and think that I always will be.

Sweet peas were not a part of my childhood. The first time they invaded my senses was when I began making visits to English gardens in early adulthood.

My first up close encounter with sweet peas was when I made a visit to Sissinghurst where I had set up a meeting with Nigel Nicholson, the son of Vita Sackville West and Harold Nicholson, the creators of this magnificent garden. By this time, Nigel was quite elderly but very dashing, with something of an aristocratic air about him. He was living in the cottage off of the White Garden.

 

After talking with me about Vita and other topics related to the history of the garden for a few moments, he asked me to walk outside with him where he began to carefully snip some sweet peas, in a variety of pastel and vibrant tones. Nigel brought a bunch of the sweet peas into the cottage and arranged them in a simple vase, all the while explaining to me that a friend of his, a Member of Parliament, was coming over for lunch and that he wanted these sweet peas to be the centerpiece.

He also made it clear to me that I wasn’t going to be invited to this luncheon by saying in a gentlemanly manner: “My dear, I would love to invite you for lunch. But I’m afraid that we, two old men, would bore you”.

So with a sweep of his hands, he graciously ushered me out of his abode, making it quite clear that the sweet peas were invited to this encounter. But that I was not. And you know what? I totally understood why. Their silent, delicate beauty was astounding.

It was after this interlude, I believe, that I became captivated with sweet peas. To say that I wasn’t successful growing them on my first try would be an understatement. Somehow it took me several years to get the timing of germinating and planting them outdoors. But when I finally did succeed, it was a great victory for me.

Even on a hot, sticky day such as this one, where I rush out into the garden early morning before the heat settles in, I feel the need, almost on a longing, to nestle up close and smell these little gems, inhaling their intoxicating scent: And for at least one moment, gazing at their magnificence.

Fran Sorin

Fran is the author of the highly-acclaimed book, Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening, which Andrew Weil, M.D., recommends as "a profound and inspiring book."  

A graduate of the University of Chicago with Honors in Psychology, she is also a gardening and creativity expert, coach, inspirational speaker, CBS radio news gardening correspondent, and Huffington Post Contributor.

Learn more about Fran and get free resources that will help you improve your life at www.fransorin.com.

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Fran Sorin
4 comments… add one

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Arline Biemiller August 4, 2007, 2:42 am

Great story on sweet peas,I love them but cant grow them.please tell me how you did it.I live in zone 6 also.

Sharon Ettinger August 6, 2007, 2:19 am

I love sweet peas too! I was wondering what have you found to be the best way of trellising them.

Take care,

Sharon

fransorin August 8, 2007, 7:05 pm

Sharon,

Believe it or not, this year I’ve used old painted bar stools (funky colors) and metal plant stands as well as the old standbys of making tepees out of bamboo. Mine are still blooming. I love cutting and bringing them indoors.

fransorin August 8, 2007, 7:10 pm

Arlene-

As I said, it took me several years to
get the process under control. I start my sweet peas in with a heated mat and covered with newspapers until they germinate sometime in early March. Once they’ve germinated I take the newspaper off of them and let the grow lights do their job. Sometime in April, when the soil has stopped being so soggy and it has warmed off a bit (although they don’t mind a chill), I’ll plant them outdoors. If they’ve gotten a bit long, I pinch off a few inches so that they not be leggy. Also, sweet peas LOVE rich soil. Feel free to add some compost or dried manure. Lots of sunlight and as soon as possible, secure them against the trellis. You know, if you’re in Zone 6, you might want to give it a shot to grow them this fall if you germinate them indoors now. Who knows what might happen??

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