David K: this is a really good thread and it's good to be able to pick your brains
Can you tell us the name of that absolutely stunning deep pink in the photo? Would love to see other photos and also photos from everyone else to see the amazing range of sweet peas.
Torrential rain here in Central Scotland and although mine are stretching out now to nice long stems with buds only beginning to colour-up - but with continuing rain it doesn't look as if they're going to have much of a chance to put on a show.
Thanks for the names David. They really are stunning - and it's lovely to see fresh vibrant blooms which haven't been ruined with rain.
It's torrential here and there are greenfly absolutely everywhere on the buds. It's a slippery paddle to get to them at the moment.
Can I ask how you support yours - cordon or other? You have probably gone over this on this forum already so apologies if I'm covering old ground. I have never mastered supporting them well. In this small garden I have about an 8foot length of a very thin section at the back of a border so have only room for 8 8ft high canes. All I've ever done (other than an obelisk in a big wooden tub with sweet peas) is have the canes upright supported by horizontal wiring to keep them straight with two substantial wooden pillars either side sunk into the ground to keep them all taught. I plant 2 sweet peas at the foot of each cane and just let them climb straight up. I have to keep removing the tendrils every few days otherwise they get very tangled and it gets messy. I have substantial (but thin) wire netting attached across these canes and I tie them in (every few days at the moment) with plant ties which hold well but allow a little expansion.
I'm not sure how to explain what advice I'm asking for here.. Basically, they always grow up the canes really well and bloom very high. But when I see lovely sweet peas on tv or in people's photographs, they seem to really bush out even forward away from the canes (don't know how to describe this) and look lovely and natural. The way I do mine they just shoot up the canes like stiff soldiers and it's all leaves and stalks until very high - and then that's it.
I'm thinking that I maybe ought to plant more than 2 at the foot of each cane or do it some other way to achieve the lovely 'look' that others seem to get. Or - maybe I just don't prepare the soil well enough or feed them correctly to produce a better abundance of blooms other than right at the top.
I wish I'd been more attentive of gardening when I was a child and my dad used to produce lovely Sweet Peas - but by that time it was the 70's and teenage years and the attention span for such things was far too short!
Sorry for such long and tedious posts everyone. Yawn at leisure
Well, Yarrow...first of all I must make it clear that not all the pics I post here are taken during the current season (the above were taken last year) and not all are of my own sweet peas, as I do take some around the shows.
As for supporting them. There are two basic methods; 'decorative' & 'cordon', each are supported in different ways.
The 'Cordon' method is the method used by show growers to grow those long stemmed exhibition blooms. This is quite labour intensive and I intended to perhaps explain it in our autumn thread....although I will say the plants grown this way are supported with canes.
The 'decorative' method is the most widely used and is used to grow cut flowers for the house. This involves growing up hazel sticks, or nets suspended between canes or poles. I prefer hazel and am lucky to have a good supply on my own property.
Thanks David. I don't mind which year the blooms are from. It's a real help to see photos and 'names' to get ideas for colour combinations. It's much clearer than depending on the seed packet photographs where the bane of the photographer is often demonstrated i.e. it's difficult to get a photograph of the true colour when the pics have been printed.
I'm determined to make a real go of Sweet Peas next year so will be thinking of planning colours and type, paying more attention to ground preparation from the end of this year and starting my seeds off this autumn as opposed to next spring. With that in mind, I will look forward with particular interest to your intention to kick things off here on a forum thread in the autumn. I think it will be a timely popular discussion and support to many of us who want to improve our techniques and results.
Yes, matching and choosing colours adds a new dimension. Not sure if I've shown this pic here, but it is a vase of the aforementioned 'Winner' (red) & 'Just Jenny' (purple)...look rather good together I thought:
Posts
David K: this is a really good thread and it's good to be able to pick your brains
Can you tell us the name of that absolutely stunning deep pink in the photo? Would love to see other photos and also photos from everyone else to see the amazing range of sweet peas.
Torrential rain here in Central Scotland and although mine are stretching out now to nice long stems with buds only beginning to colour-up - but with continuing rain it doesn't look as if they're going to have much of a chance to put on a show.
Hello, Yarrow....I agree, I'd love to see other people's pics.
Maybe my photography is lacking, but the above is listed as 'scarlet', the name being 'Winner'.
This is 'Geoff Hughes (Onslow, actor from 'Keeping up appearances' etc) orange stripe: [Remember to click on the pic for the full benefit]
PS. I think 'Winner' has now been superseded with 'Fields of fire'.
Thanks for the names David. They really are stunning - and it's lovely to see fresh vibrant blooms which haven't been ruined with rain.
It's torrential here and there are greenfly absolutely everywhere on the buds. It's a slippery paddle to get to them at the moment.
Can I ask how you support yours - cordon or other? You have probably gone over this on this forum already so apologies if I'm covering old ground. I have never mastered supporting them well. In this small garden I have about an 8foot length of a very thin section at the back of a border so have only room for 8 8ft high canes. All I've ever done (other than an obelisk in a big wooden tub with sweet peas) is have the canes upright supported by horizontal wiring to keep them straight with two substantial wooden pillars either side sunk into the ground to keep them all taught. I plant 2 sweet peas at the foot of each cane and just let them climb straight up. I have to keep removing the tendrils every few days otherwise they get very tangled and it gets messy. I have substantial (but thin) wire netting attached across these canes and I tie them in (every few days at the moment) with plant ties which hold well but allow a little expansion.
I'm not sure how to explain what advice I'm asking for here.. Basically, they always grow up the canes really well and bloom very high. But when I see lovely sweet peas on tv or in people's photographs, they seem to really bush out even forward away from the canes (don't know how to describe this) and look lovely and natural. The way I do mine they just shoot up the canes like stiff soldiers and it's all leaves and stalks until very high - and then that's it.
I'm thinking that I maybe ought to plant more than 2 at the foot of each cane or do it some other way to achieve the lovely 'look' that others seem to get. Or - maybe I just don't prepare the soil well enough or feed them correctly to produce a better abundance of blooms other than right at the top.
I wish I'd been more attentive of gardening when I was a child and my dad used to produce lovely Sweet Peas - but by that time it was the 70's and teenage years and the attention span for such things was far too short!
Sorry for such long and tedious posts everyone. Yawn at leisure
Well, Yarrow...first of all I must make it clear that not all the pics I post here are taken during the current season (the above were taken last year) and not all are of my own sweet peas, as I do take some around the shows.
As for supporting them. There are two basic methods; 'decorative' & 'cordon', each are supported in different ways.
The 'Cordon' method is the method used by show growers to grow those long stemmed exhibition blooms. This is quite labour intensive and I intended to perhaps explain it in our autumn thread....although I will say the plants grown this way are supported with canes.
The 'decorative' method is the most widely used and is used to grow cut flowers for the house. This involves growing up hazel sticks, or nets suspended between canes or poles. I prefer hazel and am lucky to have a good supply on my own property.
Show sweet peas:
Thanks David. I don't mind which year the blooms are from. It's a real help to see photos and 'names' to get ideas for colour combinations. It's much clearer than depending on the seed packet photographs where the bane of the photographer is often demonstrated i.e. it's difficult to get a photograph of the true colour when the pics have been printed.
I'm determined to make a real go of Sweet Peas next year so will be thinking of planning colours and type, paying more attention to ground preparation from the end of this year and starting my seeds off this autumn as opposed to next spring. With that in mind, I will look forward with particular interest to your intention to kick things off here on a forum thread in the autumn. I think it will be a timely popular discussion and support to many of us who want to improve our techniques and results.
You're welcome, Yarrow.
Yes, matching and choosing colours adds a new dimension. Not sure if I've shown this pic here, but it is a vase of the aforementioned 'Winner' (red) & 'Just Jenny' (purple)...look rather good together I thought:
I popped into the garden this morning and look what I found.
My first ever flowers, thanks for all the help.
Well, congratulations..and nice long, straight stems too.
No congratulations to you too, Im sure without your advice this photo wouldn't be here.
bump.....for anyone with sweet pea queries.