Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet Pea)

Member Name: January

Product:	Sweet Pea
Date:	12/03/04 (330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots of scented flowers

Disadvantages: none

Sweet pea

I think this is one of the most colourful dainty flowers in the garden, it can be grow outside and the flowers cut for vases.
There are lots of different kinds of sweet pea and most gardeners grow them, they are a swet scented annual, which means you have to start it off from seed every year. A packet of sweet peas can be bought from the garden centre or B&Q and even in some supermarkets for around 79p, it's a very popular flower.

There are three types of sweet pea, spencer varieties which g4row from between 6 and 10 ft and have a huge colour range, these have to be supported and can be grow up a trestle or a wall which has been strung for support. These flower between June and September.
The dwarf peas grow to about 12 inches high these also produce lots of loverly flowers which can be cut and taken indoors to brighten up your house. The flowers bloom in June to September.
The hedge varieties such as knee-hi and Jet Set grow to about 3ft and these need support too. They also flower from June to September.

The seeds which look like dried peas so have to be kept out of the way of little children are best started off by soaking them overnight in water, before planting.
You can plant the seeds in small pots or outside in the ground in March. It's always best to turn over a piece of grown under a fence and make sure the soil is free of weeds, I always nail string across the front of the fence so that the sweet peas can take hold and grow up it.
When the flowers are blooming you can cut the stems and use them for indoors, always leave some on the plant and remember to dead head, which is just checking the plant for any blooms which are dying and clipping them off with the scissors as this promotes new flowers.

Sweet peas are very easy to grow and like a well drained soil which can be well manured before planting, so that they have nice food to help them grow tall with lots of loverly flowers.
A
lways check for pests, slugs love to eat them and they can get wilt or milder, you can always get a spray from the garden centre to help prevent this.
As it's now time for planting sweet peas, I'll do mine in pots first then plant them out in about early May. You can use little sticks for support if they are grown in pots untill they can grow up a fence or tressle.
Like I said these are great for brightening up any garden, the scent of them is very fragrant and you'll cheer up when you sit near these as well as having a good supply of the flowers to cheer up the house and after the long winter we have been through I think these will be nice and bright for the summer months.

Summary: