Slightly earlier than last year methinks there is a vase of sweet peas on the kitchen windowsill. The first bunch of sweet peas is always a highlight of my gardening year. I'm sure that I've said before that they are the one hardy annual that I wouldn't be without. Starring in this year's cast are : 'Erewhon', 'Gwendoline', 'Kings Ransom', 'Eclipse', 'Almost Black', 'Indigo King', 'David Tostevin' and 'Suzy Z'. The last two are new to me this year and the jury is still out them. They leave something to be desired when it comes to scent and scent is an important factor for me when it comes to sweet peas.
I could have picked a smaller bunch last week but as we were away for a few days I decided to remove the first flowers and jettison them which did cause me some heartbreak. I came home though to this burst of colour and there are just as many today waiting in the wings for their moment in a vase.
In other news the first homegrown tomatoes of the year were eaten yesterday, the green garden waste bin is filled ready for collection and I have been sowing biennials. Summer is definitely in full stride with another heatwave predicted for later this week. This time it's creeping up to the north west of England so I think that gardening jobs apart from watering will be done in the earlier part of the week. Still when the heat is on there are household chores to be done, reading to catch up on and I'm looking forward to listening to Carol Klein who was the guest on 'Desert Island Discs' on BBC Radio 4 yesterday. The episode is available to listen to via BBC Sounds here.
Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who gets us together every week thus providing a source of much pleasure, inspiration as well as an ever growing wish list. Do visit her blog if you haven't already!
Postscript - I've checked and the sweet peas are definitely earlier - a full two weeks! The 2024 and 2025 sweet pea seeds were sown in the middle of March. I noted though that once I planted them out last year that they made painfully slow progress as the weather was so cool and damp although we had plenty of rain. The complete opposite conditions this year which probably explains why they are earlier.
I adore sweet peas! I bet your bouquet smells divine. Eliza
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza - it was indeed a most scented vase ๐
DeleteI'm happy to see your sweet peas and I hope they continue to give you joy over a long season, ignoring the heat. I already miss my sweet peas with their notably late and very short season this year. My favorite sweet pea is a cultivar called 'Blue Shift' but I haven't been able to get any seeds since 2022. (I guess I should start looking for them now!)
ReplyDeleteI've just looked at them Kris and sadly they are flagging after the recent heat. I didn't mulch them either this year when I planted them so that hasn't helped. Good luck with finding some 'Blue Shift' seeds. It looks like a most attractive variety.
DeleteOur sweet peas have really short stems this year.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Sue ๐ค Still long stems here but maybe for not much longer with all this hot and dry weather.
DeleteI LOVE sweetpeas, but never have luck growing them, yours are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words ๐ Sorry to hear that you've not had any joy with them as yet.
DeleteOh how lovely Anna - no wonder you are delighted! Do you always grow so many different varieties - and do you mix them on their supports? How interesting that yours are as much as 2 weeks early
ReplyDeleteYes to both your questions Cathy ๐
DeleteSo Sweet! That is a handsome bundle. Mine have just started to produce enough for alternate day picking too. Love that fragrance.
ReplyDeletehttps://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/07/07/in-a-vase-monday-july-7-2025/
It's most rewarding when you get to the stage when you can pick them regularly Jenny. I will be out snipping a few more stems to bring in later on.
DeleteLovely Anna! I know how much you look forward to being able to pick them, and they look so pretty as well as smelling nice. I have grown one sort this year called Annie Gilroy - supposedly climbers although they are only about a foot tall and flowering now already. I'm not sure how they will cope in our next heatwave, but at least this week is a lot cooler and I can enjoy them. I wonder if you have a favourite? Thanks for the Carol Klein link. I think she's the best of all the tv gardeners with her enthusiastic and cheerful attitude!
ReplyDeleteThe sweet peas are beautiful, Anna. I love the vase against the colour of the fencing. I haven’t grown sweet peas for many years because every time I took a bunch indoors my family complained about the awful smell! I shouldn’t have let that stop me because I love them - perfume too! :D You mention that they are two weeks early - my heleniums and rudbeckias are in bloom, and they are early too. I’m assuming it might have something to do with the very hot and dry spell we all had in Spring?
ReplyDeleteThey really are lovely, and your arrangement of them is so attractive...especially in that vase. :)
ReplyDelete