By now we probably all have the gardening bug tickling us every time we are outside.聽 My daily yard tour is a continual surprise, seeing how the snow has disappeared practically right before our eyes.聽 It would be very tempting to uncover some of our tender perennials, but we must not be too over-eager!聽 Chilly days and frosty nights will likely still be before us.
But there is one plant that we can think about planting, if we haven鈥檛 done so already, and that is the sweet pea.聽 That beautiful, fragrant garden favorite has been around for a long time, and while it may sometimes get overlooked in the search for the 鈥渘ext new thing鈥�, it is a wonderful plant if you鈥檇 like delicate blooms and heavenly aroma.
We can plant our sweet peas as soon as the soil is dry enough to work.聽 Remember, we should soak our sweet-pea seeds overnight.聽 Then the next day, put on a cozy jacket, get out your trusty garden hoe, and head outside for that exhilarating experience of planting the first seeds of the season!聽 Sweet peas like to be the first ones in the pool, so to speak, so even though it is too chilly for everything else, the sweet peas will enjoy that! 聽
They like a sunny location with well-drained soil.聽 Dig a row about four inches deep, pop the seeds in, and press in the soil firmly so that the seeds are well-covered.聽 And hopefully, in about two weeks or so, our seeds will be up!聽 Most varieties of sweet peas are climbers, so we will have to have chicken wire, trellises, or tall sticks ready for them as they take off!聽 There are some bush varieties available, too, if you simply don鈥檛 have the space for tall climbing plants.
I read that we should pinch the tops of the plants off when they get to be six inches in height.聽 Gosh!聽 As tough as this is to do, we must keep in mind that we are doing it so that the plant will have a good, bushy growing habit.聽 Sweet peas like to be kept moist, so we must remember to be sure they are watered, especially in warmer weather.
When the season progresses and the blooms begin to appear, the more we pick, the more the plant will produce.聽 The flowers appear on long stems that stretch out from the vine, so they are ideal for cut flowers.聽 The 鈥淪pencer鈥� variety of sweet peas are very colorful, good and sturdy with strong stems, but the 鈥渙ld fashioned鈥� sweet pea seeds will be more fragrant. 聽
And the fragrance!聽 I remember reading that fragrance is one of the strongest memory triggers, and for me, when I smell a handful of sweet peas, I am back in my darling parents鈥� garden.聽 Sweet peas were one of the first flowers that I grew in my patch, with a chicken wire fence that Daddy made for them to climb.聽 Oh, my, the great excitement when the first flower appeared!聽 I was so excited to pick it and take it to Mom, and she put it in a little bud vase and onto the kitchen table for us to enjoy during our meals.聽 Yes, when I smell the breathtaking perfume of sweet peas, I am back there again and I can feel the sun on my face and see the lush, well-tended rows of Mom鈥檚 garden, and I remember the happiness and satisfaction that her garden gave to her鈥ne of her many special gifts that she shared with me.
So it鈥檚 sweet pea time, gardeners!聽 A lovely plant we鈥檒l enjoy! 聽
At this point in time, it鈥檚 uncertain if the next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be going ahead,聽 so be sure to check our website at www.yorktonhort.ca, and rest assured that we will keep you posted about what is going on with the group!聽 We鈥檙e all anxious to get together again and talk about gardening plans!
Thank you to everyone at Yorkton This Week for their great work!聽 Much appreciated!
Let鈥檚 pray for health for everyone; have a great week!
