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Sweet Peas - Good Varieties For Fragrance

16/6/2014

 
This year I grew sweetpeas in the autumn, overwintered them in a cold greenhouse, and planted them out in April. 

Wandering around the garden a few days later, I discovered that the pigeons had appreciated my hard work and left me a few thin shreds of stalks as a thank you present. 

Mr. P helped me erect "emergency protection" in the form of chicken wire and told me that they might "bounce back." I wasn't so hopeful and muttered darkly about buying a gun.


I was delighted, though, when the plants did indeed re-grow, bushier than ever, protected from hungry beaks. They began flowering early/mid May. This year, rather than leaving them to their own devices, I've been treating them more like tomatoes: cutting off as many tendrils and side shoots as I can, to stimulate better flowering and vertical growth. 

It's time-consuming but satisfying, since this method really seems to work. The more I cut, the more they grow and flower. 

Here are my top sweetpeas from this year, by fragrance & colour. 
PictureMrs. Collier (white) & both pinks.
1. Mrs. Collier. 
This creamy-white flower has an unusual, subtle scent, somewhere between almonds and lemons. I adore it. Not prolific, but I have to rank it #1 on scent alone. One to grow again next year.

2. 'Barry Dare' and 'Prince Edward of York'
Both of these have vivid, attractive pink flowers and a light rose scent. Less prolific than 'Matucana,' so next year I'll grow more of them. 



Picture
3. 'Matucana'. 
A bi-colour purple and magenta flower, it's vigorous and incredibly prolific. 

The scent is strong, with a slight lemon undertone. Overall a great choice for adding colour and fragrance to a bouquet, or simply, as in this picture, gathering in one vase. Definitely one to grow again.

PictureLord Nelson (far left) & 'Black Night' (mid back).
What about the ones I wouldn't grow again?
I'd probably include two cultivars in this list: 'Lord Nelson and 'Black Knight.' 

'Lord Nelson' flowers are a striking, unusual shade of blue, akin to a royal navy. It's very attractive, but, contrary to seed packet claims, I have found it has virtually no scent. 

Also on this list is 'Black Knight'. The flowers are an intense dark maroon. It is vigorous and a prolific flowerer. It lacks impact on its own or amongst other purple tones, but is good amongst a pink and white bouquet. However, as it has no scent, I won't be selecting it again.


Any suggestions for good scented cultivars, please let me know... 

Renovating the Pond in the Wild Garden

13/6/2014

 
Mr. P questions my sanity. Somehow or another, despite me planning to tackle the pond in a few years time, I have begun tackling the pond... now. No idea how that happened! 

I am being more sensible than the first winter we lived here, when I hand dug and cleared nettles from several large chunks of land, and knackered my back repeatedly. This time, I've had some help. Tom valiantly removed rushes from the pond and dug out the remains of the diseased bamboo. Jan, too, helped removed the ground elder, while I've tackled the bind weed. But it's a big project, nonetheless, especially without using contractors or chemicals. So I'm tackling it bit by bit.
Picture
How then?
Step 1: Clear overhanging shrubs and trees and mow nettles and acanthus so that we can actually access the pond! Getting there.

Step 2: Carry out repeated "weed removal" exercises, over the growing season. One round down, but since these are all repulsive perennial weeds, I'll be at it again later this summer, and autumn, and next year...

Step 3: Clear pond of built-up muck and decayed rushes. Done for this year.

Step 4: Replant banks. Work in progress!

Step 5: Monitor, weed, replant, and weed... repeating often, over the next few years. 

Nothing like a challenge! 

    Favourite Sites

    Seedaholic
    Good suppliers of flower, veg and unusual plant seeds. 

    Fentongollan
    Cornish bulb supplier. My go-to for daffodils. Helpful staff. 

    Peter Nyssen
    All-round fab website for bulb hunting. Excellent quality tulips.

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