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Sweet pea conundrum

FritillariaScotlandFritillariaScotland Posts: 67
in Problem solving
Hi all, this is the first time I've grown sweet peas from seed and I have a bit of a head scratcher here...
The seeds have come from the same packet (RHS Sweet Peas "Pink Pearl") and these are the plants that I got. Am I right in thinking that these are two completely different plants and not just a matter of one growing on the kitchen window sill and the other in the dining room and this is nature's way of teaching me about differences in growing conditions 😆? Also, would you say it's time to start hardening them off? 

Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    If I'm correct that's a perennial sweet pea,I think I grew it a few years back,only the white ones ever returned. I grew some this year,19.3had given up on them, I now have about 50% germinated and are about 5 inches tall yet I'm on my 3rd sowing of the annuals. In reply to your question,no that isn't a sweet pea. Did you use a new pot,or do you grow anything else? The reason I ask is,I have found several times inspite of washing up my pots in hot soapy water in the kitchen sink,and "zoflora ing" them. I have had chard, cornflowers,and nicotina come up at different times in various pots,I don't know for sure if the seed managed to hide in the pot or was in the green house somewhere. It looks like rocket although I wouldn't swear to it
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    I would yes,start hardening her off. You are obviously a lot further north than me. (I'm tucked away in the much warmer SE, quite near the sea) 
  • FritillariaScotlandFritillariaScotland Posts: 67
    Thank you @Nanny Beach, rocket sounds really exciting! I'm going to have to buy a packet of seeds now if they're this easy to grow 😆 I'll have to start hardening my next batch of plants off. It's such a complex decision to make, the temperature hardly ever gets above 12c here!! 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited May 2021
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  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    Is it me or do these two plants not look like sweet peas at all...? I’ve only grown them for two years abs mine look nothing like those in your picture.. the foliage is completely different, and there are no tendrils either? Am I missing something? 
  • CrazybeeladyCrazybeelady Posts: 778
    celcius_kkw said:
    Is it me or do these two plants not look like sweet peas at all...? I’ve only grown them for two years abs mine look nothing like those in your picture.. the foliage is completely different, and there are no tendrils either? Am I missing something? 
    Agreed! Neither of them look like mine.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Pink Pearl is a perennial pea not the usual kind of sweet pea. I think that's what the bottom plant in the pic is. The top one is no kind of pea at all - it could be rocket as @Nanny Beach suggested.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No - neither are annual sweet peas, as already established  :)
    The bottom one is a perennial pea though - they look slightly different in their early growth compared to the annual.  :)
    The top one does look like rocket. I only grow the wild one, which is very hardy indeed, and isn't affected by long periods of very cold weather. Whether you have a different type or not remains to be seen, but the foliage has quite a distinctive smell when crushed. Let it grow a bit, and even let it flower, then you'll know for sure. 
    All are hardy anyway, and you can safely be hardening off and keeping outdoors. My annual peas have been out since April, and many are now in their final positions. Still too cold for them to be making much headway, but that's pretty standard here. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FritillariaScotlandFritillariaScotland Posts: 67
    Thank you all, I'll start hardening them off and we'll see what happens to the intruder once it starts to flower. 
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