Sweet Peas... Recommendations

timpickles 347 · 10 January

Hello
this will be my first year hopefully growing sweet peas... can anyone recommend a good strongly scented variety that will happily grow amongst other climbers... Thank you...

Fairygirl · 10 January

It's a good idea to look at some of the specialist sellers like Eagle, to get ideas. There are loads of other good suppliers like Chilterns Seeds too.
Scent is difficult because some people simply have a better sense of smell than others. It's not a priority for me, because I can't smell most of them unless I'm right beside them

They'll all grow through other climbers, unless they're dwarf types, but they need lots of food and water, and rich soil, so the other planting would need to be fine with that too.

I only grow dark ones or creams/whites, and Beaujolais, Black Knight and Dr. R. Uvedale are good, and the original plant Cupani is also nice. It's a bit smaller. For whites/creams, Dorothy Eckford is a good doer for me, and ones called CCC and Mrs Collier which I grew last year. Cathy is very reliable.
There are hundreds of varieties though.

Jess91 · 10 January

I'm also growing sweetpeas for the first time this year, I've never managed to get them to germinate before.

I bought from englishsweetpeas.co.uk (not affiliated with them in any way, just who I picked.

The seeds were really good quality and of the 16 I sowed, every one has come up. Did them in November and all are now coming along.

I also chose for scent, so have Matucana, Sicilian Pink, Almost Black, and High Scent.

Hope that's helpful

Fairygirl · 10 January

Matucana is a good doer @Jess91 - it's basically a large version of Cupani

I don't usually sow in autumn as the spring sown ones catch up. It's where climate and conditions come into it. Autumn sown ones don't really grow much here until May, and I usually sow around late March [under cover] for the spring ones, getting them acclimatised and out once they're germinated and a reasonable size.
That can also be useful in drier, hotter parts of the country, as it gives a succession. Many people find that if they're flowering by early summer, they're finished by mid to late summer as it can be too hot and dry for them. Spring sown ones can then take over.

Slugs love them so it always pays to keep an eye on them once planted out. Most of mine are grown in pots for that reason too.

Jess91 · 10 January

@Fairygirl yes I'd imagine your climate is a bit different to mine, I am East Yorkshire. We don't really see anything colder than around -3 or 4 degrees generally, the salty air keeps it that bit warmer.
I germinated mine on damp kitchen roll indoors for 24 hours, kept them indoors until I saw them pop up, then tossed them straight outside under the patio table to keep the worst of the wind and rain off them. They're about 8 or 9 inches tall now and have been pinched out.

Something for OP to think about depending on where they are located.

I do plan to do a later sowing so I get later flowers too, I still have plenty of seed left.

Fairygirl · 10 January

Yes - they don't need cossetting @Jess91, so yours should be fine with your climate. If they put on a lot more growth between now and spring planting time, just keep pinching out the tops as you've been doing

I've been growing them for decades, and although I've occasionally done some in autumn, it's rarely worth the bother for the reasons I gave.
I do mine at 3 or 4 to a 3 inch pot, and I now use disposable coffee cups for sowing. My daughter used to buy me a coffee now and again, and they're deeper than a standard 3 inch plastic pot, and ideal for s. peas as they have deep root systems. I reuse them too.

I usually just plant the whole potful at each support, but I sometimes split them depending on how well they've germinated and how many I need for each container. I collect seed too, but a nice one I grew a couple of years ago for the first time [Roosterville] didn't produce viable enough seed readily or early enough, so I bought more last year. I got a few from it this time round, so hopefully they'll do well.
I got them from Johnsons S. Peas - another good source.

Sweet Peas... Recommendations

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