Sweet peas and Saint Patrick's Day are heading this way

sweet peas
Originally uploaded by jpc101

When dear St. Patrick's Day arrives soon, on March 17, be sure and have some sweet pea seeds on hand to plant
According to lore of this day, Sweet Peas planted in the dark hours on the evening before St. Patrick's Day grow more vigorously and produce more flowers than seeds planted any other time.
The results of my last year's experiment are not conclusive, but I am undeterred and want to try again this year.
Happy gardening to you all.

For more information on the fun of planting the evening before St. Patrick's Day and my favorite varieties to plant, see my article at http://www.positivelyfeminine.org, under creatively feminine, in March 2008.

The Benediction of Saint Patrick

The Benediction of Saint Patrick
Originally uploaded by starbeard

For a rollicking good time within the pages of a book, I recommend the novel "Ireland" by Frank Delaney.

The narrator changes but the main character is named The Storyteller; he is the last in the grand Irish tradition of itinerant story tellers who travel in farm land and small towns and earn a meal by telling thrilling stories from Ireland's past.

Yes, the story of Saint Patrick is here, and King Conor of Ulster, Brendan the Navigator, Brian Boru, Finn MacCool, Norman raiders, a devil in a cave, monks and kings.

Interwoven with these tales is the unfolding story of a nine year old boy who meets the Storyteller, and who searches for this mysterious and hard to find man, in modern day Ireland.

The book is so enthralling that now I want to buy the audio cd version read by the author, who I am told is an accomplished performer.

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