Prepare long-lasting Spring blooms now by planting this stunning flower that smells amazing and is relatively low maintenance to keep happy – just make sure to keep them away from the frost
Just because summer is over – it doesn’t mean the gardening jobs have stopped.
Autumn might not be filled with beautiful blooms, lush grass, and evenings spent sipping wine on your recently jet-washed patio – but it is a great time to start prepping your back garden to flourish in the Spring. You should still be deadheading plants like dahlias, keeping you lawn cut short, and pruning climbing roses.
Sweat pea (annulas) plants are a gorgeous flower, famed for their pastel petals, stunning scent and low maintenance. If you haven’t already, you should be planting your sweet peas now in pots, and letting them grow inside over the winter. This way, they’ll be ready to move outside in Spring and will add a lovely splash of colour to your garden.
According to Gardeners’ World, you should ‘pinch out the tips’ when the plant reaches around 10cm in height to ‘encourage bushy growth’. “Plant out in mid-spring and keep well watered,” the publication added. “Most varieties have tendrils that will ‘self-cling’ to supports, but some sweet peas will need tying in. Start feeding sweet peas with a high potash fertiliser (such as tomato food) when flower buds appear. Regular picking encourages more flowers to form, so keep picking those blooms for the vase.”
Sweet peas need to be in an open sunny position with moist but well-drained soil. Growing pots are a good starting place, and seeds will germinate relatively easily. Just make sure you’re using good-quality peat-free compost and avoid placing them outside until after any risk of frost has passed, around late May.
Either sow seed in 9cm pots (three in each pot), in root trainers or trays. You can also help activate germination by nicking the seed coat with a knife, making sure to avoid the ‘eye’ area. ‘Before planting, harden them off by putting them out in the day and returning them to a frost-free place at night,” Gardeners’ World explained. “You can [also] buy sweet pea plug plants in spring. Plant them in fertile soil beneath a support, such as a wigwam made of bamboo canes as most sweet peas will grow to about 2m in height.”
British horticulturist Monty Don says it is always worth sowing sweet peas in October as well as February, to ‘spread the risk’ of the plants being hit by frost. “By sowing sweet peas in October you will have bigger plants with a stronger root system that should give flowers next spring earlier and last longer,” he added.
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