NO PLACE LIKE HOME -- karen wight

Sweet peas are one of Mother Nature’s best creations. They are easy to

grow, look fabulous in the garden, provide bundles and bundles of

intoxicating flowers and self-seed almost to a fault.

I started my sweet pea fascination years ago, and since then I have

fine-tuned the process so I get maximum results with minimum effort. Let

me walk you through the process so you and your family can revel in these

early spring miracles.

Pick a spot in your garden that has full sun, moist soil and room enough

for a trellis, bamboo tepee or wire structure. If you need to amend the

soil, do it now. Any effort at this stage will reap exponential benefits.

Sweet peas’ tendrils need something to cling to, so depending on your

style, select a method of support.

If you are growing your sweet peas against a fence or wall, provide

netting for the tendrils to grab. This will give you a dramatic plane of

green leaves, reaching tendrils and beautiful flowers. If you choose a

location in the middle of your garden, you will need a free-standing

structure.

There are many ways to provide support. One of my favorites is a bamboo

tepee. I use three bamboo poles, approximately 4 feet tall, and secure

the top together with raffia or jute. I dig three holes in a triangular

pattern and plant the bamboo ends in the dirt. At this point I wrap the

poles with nylon netting so the young plants will find a spot to grab.

Metal wire frames such as obelisks, cones or triangles are other lovely

ways to give your plants the support they need to give you maximum

results. The plants climb upward toward the sun, and stems, leaves and

tendrils just seem to grow before your very eyes.

Next, the seeds. Most of mine are cultivated from last year’s harvest,

but I add at least one packet of new seeds a year to my mix. Sometimes my

experiments lead to new generations of favorites, sometimes not. Last

year I tried some heirloom varieties. Seeds are called “heirloom” when

they have been around for several generations. A few of these are

charming and fragrant, but I have found the best performers to be the

improved strains that are disease-resistant, vigorous and produce

bountiful flowers on long, sturdy stems.

Sweet peas come in a huge array of colors. Color mixtures include deep

rose, blue, purple, scarlet, lavender, white, cream, amethyst on white

ground, salmon, salmon pink on cream, and red. This is not the time for

color coordination; plant a variety of seed types and colors to find

which varieties grow best in your location and soil. Soak your seeds in

water for 24 hours before planting. This will help with seed germination.

Sow seeds 1 inch deep, 1 to 2 inches apart at the base of your support

structure. Water well and fertilize. It might sound cliche, but using

Miracle Gro once a week will help produce a breathtaking display of

flowers.

Once your sweet peas start flowering, cut, cut, cut. Sweet peas are

prolific; the more you cut, the more flowers your plants will produce. As

you cut your flowers, arrange them in a bouquet style, tallest in the

center and shorter toward the outside. Think of a traditional bridal

bouquet and place the flowers accordingly. Before you place them in a

vase, cut the ends of the stems straight across, then place them in a

container.

And speaking of containers, sweet peas look good in any small vase. If

you have small vases with narrow necks, this is the time to pull them off

the shelf and fill as many as you can find. The only problem with sweet

peas is that you might run out of things to put them in or places to put

them. A few sweet peas brighten a room and add a wonderful fragrance that

lasts for days.

When you have filled all of your bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living

room, give a bouquet to your children’s teachers, your neighbors and your

co-workers. These flowers were meant for random acts of kindness. The

clean, sweet fragrance is one of the best parts of spring.

It’s one of Mother Nature’s loveliest miracles.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident who owned Wight House Design

for 10 years. Her column runs Saturdays.

Photo A: Sweet Peas come in almost every floral color imaginable. Choose

a wide variety for a showy display.

Photo B: Young plants need supports for the tendrils to cling to. This

wire form is simple yet gets the job done.