Issue 810

Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

A Bed of Bijous

It's St Pat's day on Sunday, which means it's sweet pea time again. Usually sweet peas are grown on wigwams, fences or trellises. But with the new breed of dwarf varieties such as 'Bijou' and 'Pixie Princess', the gardener's options are extended. Dwarf sweet peas make excellent container plants, where they can spill over the edge of the pot and brighten up a sunny corner on the patio. They can also be cultivated in hanging baskets on a wind-protected verandah. But one of the nicest ways to grow them is in a bed of their own, where they develop into a mass of plants that flower their heads off all through spring.

Dwarf sweet peas require the same growing conditions as tall types - sun and good soil. Diligent soil preparation will mean the difference between a reasonable show and an outstanding display. Work the soil over to remove any weeds, large lumps of soil and stones. Sprinkle on some garden lime, cow or horse manure, some granular complete fertiliser and a small amount of trace elements and dig all these ingredients well into the soil. Give the bed a good soak and leave for a week.

As your sweet peas begin to grow, sprinkle a little superphosphate over the bed and water well in. Thereinafter, fertilise your plants on a fortnightly basis with a soluble fertiliser.

Sweet peas make excellent cut flowers and the dwarf varieties produce just as abundant blooms as tall types, which last for up to a week in a vase. Pick them early in the morning and plunge them up to their necks in cold water until you are ready to arrange them.

The more you pick sweet peas, the more flowers they produce. When your plants have done their dash, dig them into the ground so their nitrogenous litter can enrich your soil.