I came away from the allotment today with a skip in my step despite another session of horsetail tug of war. The reason was that I was able to pick the very first sweet peas of the year. Not enough for a substantial bunch but a few stems to sit alongside some roses. This year's sweet peas are two I've not grown before namely 'Erewhon' and 'Fire & Ice' as well as the familiar 'Cupani'. I usually grow 'Matucana' but 'Cupani' is very similar. Plants from autumn sown seed ended up being too straggly to plant probably because of the mild winter so I sowed again in spring using root trainers. I now have two wigwams at the allotment, each made up of seven bamboo canes, with two plants planted at the base of each cane. 'Cupani' has still to flower. Of the other two it's still early acquaintance but I think that I prefer 'Erewhon'. I will report back more fully later in the year. I'm castigating myself for not sowing some darker shades too.
There were not enough sweet peas to fill the container so I supplemented them with a few 'Blush Noisette' roses. The flowers are in a little china teacup (probably about 4 inches high), which is one of a pair that I bought from a local charity shop many years ago. Both the cups and saucers have minute chips but with a bit of guile these imperfections can be easily disguised. I'm looking forward now to picking many bunches of sweet peas during the summer from the allotment. My sweet pea vases usually reside on the kitchen windowsill and make washing the dishes a much more pleasurable pastime. This arrangement was photographed outside this afternoon.
Thanks to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who came up with the excellent idea of sharing our vases of flowers on a Monday. What a great way to start the week!
A very lovely idea to have sweet pea vases on your kitchen window sill - and this is such a pretty way of combining your first pickings with roses. I recall you talking last year about all your sweet peas from the allotment, which was one of the reasons I put some effort into growing them this year. Next year I will perhaps choose more discretely as it was mostly the cheapest available - but the 99p trial Purple Pimpernel are definitely a success. I trawled several car boots recently looking for a useable bone china tea cup and saucer for ED who decided found she liked the experience of drinking from bone china - yours is a perfect partner for your blooms. Thanks for joining in this week
ReplyDeleteSO pretty and delicate in a tea cup. I am growing sweet peas for the first time this year! I hope to get some flowers so that I can see first hand what all the fuss is about. Judging by your arrangement the love affair with them is deserved.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty in your special tea cup. The sweet pea and rose combination seem like a romantic pairing.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. I have begun picking too, lovely long stems at the moment - I keep them next to the sink as well - the fragrance encourages me to wash up.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have sweet peas last year and I really missed them so I got the seeds in nice and early this year. Unfortunately, they haven't fared well with one thing or another and they've ended up on the compost heap and I'm totally fed up about them. Never mind, there's always next year. There's horsetail on our allotment site but I haven't come across it on our plot yet, I'm hoping it stays away. We have it in the front garden and its such a pain, it's even coming through the tarmac on the pavement outside the house. I love how you've supplemented your sweet peas with roses, they go together very well.
ReplyDeleteThe cup and saucer are a perfect accompaniment to the flowers! I love sweet peas. My own fried in our early May heatwave so I enjoy seeing other people's flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful combination - the sweet peas and roses look perfect together. I keep my sweet peas on the kitchen windowsill too - my little slice of summer.
ReplyDeleteLovely Anna! Sweet peas are just so pretty, and combined with roses in a china teacup they are absolutely romantic too! I'm waiting for mine to flower... the mice haven't discovered them this year!
ReplyDeleteThis is so delightful, Anna, I love the vase too! No luck with sweet peas this year but a friend gave me Matucana seeds so I look forward to trying them next year.
ReplyDeleteThe tea cup is a lovely way to display the sweet peas. Often the stems are too short but this way they are perfect. Send me some of the perfume please!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very sweet and elegant arrangement Anna!
ReplyDeleteAnna, your comment on my blog totally cracked me up. The garden was a bit too neat, wasn't it? I liked the bones but if it were my garden there wouldn't have been so much bare soil. I prefer to crowd my plants together. ... And yes, you and I could go toe to toe over that Clemmy. It would be fun. Thanks for commenting. Now, your rose and sweet pea arrangement, I swear I can smell its sweetness through my computer screen. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteYour arrangement looks so pretty in the china cup and saucer. The sweet peas are a perfect match for the rose. I bet they smell wonderful. I can' t wait for mine to bloom.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and for all your kind comments. The sweet peas only lasted for a couple of days but gave me great pleasure whilst they lasted.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, I'm catching up after a v busy summer! That flower arrangement looks so beautiful but sweet peas don't last long do they. I took a vaseful down to the coast last weekend, a present for my mother, and they just about lasted the journey (and a garden visit in the middle of the trip!). I grew a mix of pinks, whites and purples but it's really hard to visualise when choosing seeds.
ReplyDeleteThe gardens here are constantly invaded by horsetail but a neighbour has persevered and eradicated it from the area he's adopted for his cabbages. My problem is a clump of horseradish that I stupidly planted in the ground before I knew better!
I love sweet peas, the house is currently filled with the scent, though I planted too many on the one wigwam this year and the paler colours have been smothered by the darker ones. Pretty arrangement.
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