sweet peas

sweet peas
Originally uploaded by nuanc

Photo uploaded on September 24, 2005by nuanc

Sweet peas are such perfect plants, with their range of colors, delectable scents, and ease of growing. As soon as your climate and soil allow, plant sweet pea seeds. The widely known types are vines, however I always plant knee high or bush sweet peas. These don’t need fences or trellises to climb on.

Since the seeds are as hard as pebbles, you may want to nick each one slightly with a nail clipper or metal nail file, or soak them for an hour or more. Some years I skip this step and just plant the seeds and keep them well watered. I recommend for bush type sweet peas, Little Sweetheart, Heirloom Cupid, Bijou and Knee-Hi.

For information on the Irish tradition of planting sweet peas by lamplight in the dark hours between sunset the evening before Saint Patrick’s Day, and sunrise that morning, I wrote an article you can read at http://www.positivelyfeminine.org/Creative/garden/th/sweetpea.htm