Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus Strawberry Sundae
Hardy Annual
A highly fragranced heritage mix Strawberry Sundae in pastel rose pinks and white. Height approx 2m. Can also be grown in a large container with perhaps trellis or an obelisk. Tie in the plant as it grows and remove the side tendrils to encourage growth upwards.
- Sow undercover or direct in deep modules or individual pots filled with compost, from Feb – March or August to October, to get a head start the following spring.
- Fill pots with compost and water first, before sowing the seed, this will prevent the seed being buried too deep once the compost settles after watering.
- If you don’t want to start off in pots that’s fine as they can also be sown direct into soil in Spring from April onwards ( after frosts ). Roots grow quite quickly and they do not like being cramped, so use deep modules specific for sweet peas ( there are many on the market ), or use toilet rolls which work very well.
- Pinch out seedlings ( remove the growing tip of the plant ) after first two true leaves appear which will encourage them to bush out and get a thicker stem.
- Plant outdoors after frosts, 15cm apart with two plants to one cane or support. They like full sun, and they like water, so try not to let them dry out. Flowering time is May to September and they will flower longer if you constantly dead head by removing the spent flowers. If you constantly remove the dead flower heads, the plant continues to produce flowers, if you leave the dead flowers on the plant they will turn into seed pods and the plant will sop flower production.
