I have been intrigued by these for years but I have never grown them because I have heard that they are rather finicky. All the hype on their wonderful scent makes me want to give them a try.

Has anyone here grown Sweet Peas before. If so, what were your growing conditions and how did they perform? Would you recommend that people should grow them?

Hi,

Pretty much grow sweet peas every year as they don't take a lot of space and grow upwards so good up against a fence etc. Can't speak for temperatures but the UK weather is fine for them and don't take any care for them until the flowers start to die and produce pods. If you want more flowers need to keep dead heading, then when the seasons comes to an end switch to leaving them to get seed.

Some varieties are quite fragrant, and the flowers are quite pretty - an easy plant to allow to pop up and grow pretty much anywhere and reseeds itself quite easily.

I used to grow them yearly, I just love how they look & smell. But with our years-long ongoing drought, I've had to forego flowers in favor of vegetables. Annuals are a luxury to me now; I have roses that don't require watering since they're so established, and indoor orchids.
Sweet peas were not hard at all. Sow the soaked seeds & see, Patti.

I like the snow peas but to date never cooked any I grew.
They get eaten before they ever make it in the house.
I can go through a patch of them like a starving goat.
Used to go shopping with my mom and she would look in the rear view mirror and see me eating every raw vegetable she bought.
Guess I was 3 years old but I remember it.
I'll eat raw field corn if I can get my hands on it.
She had to draw the line with peanut shells.

worth1 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:53 pm I like the snow peas but to date never cooked any I grew.
They get eaten before they ever make it in the house.
I can go through a patch of them like a starving goat.
Used to go shopping with my mom and she would look in the rear view mirror and see me eating every raw vegetable she bought.
Guess I was 3 years old but I remember it.
I'll eat raw field corn if I can get my hands on it.
She had to draw the line with peanut shells.

Worth we are in the flower forum. Sweet Peas are a lovely vining annual flower some that have pronounced fragrance.

They are beautiful but since rabbits and sparrows eat my vegetable pea plants, I wonder if they would eat the ornamental ones? I don't know since I have never grown them.

brownrexx wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:21 am They are beautiful but since rabbits and sparrows eat my vegetable pea plants, I wonder if they would eat the ornamental ones? I don't know since I have never grown them.

That's a very good question. I just looked it up and yes they are on the menu for rabbits and deer.

[mention]MissS[/mention] well then forget growing them at my house. When I grow vegetable peas I have to surround them with a screened enclosure to be able to get any, otherwise the sparrows peck at the leaves leaving little V shaped bites and the rabbits eat the plants to the ground once they find them.

I guess that the plants smell good to them like the flowers smell good to us.

I do like the look of pea flowers when I grow the veggie ones. Some varieties have white flowers and some have really pretty pinkish purple ones. I never noticed a fragrance to them.

I can smell sweet peas, although I am one of those that can't smell freesia. I can't smell normal pea flowers but do love the dainty blooms but not as colourful as sweet peas. I do love the smell of edibl e peas though, you can touch the plant and smell it.

This thread made me wonder so I searched whether sweet pea flowers are edible.
A big fat NOOOOOO!!!!! Sweet pea plants are toxic, to humans, anyway.

In case anyone else was wondering:

Only vegetable pea flowers can be eaten, not sweet pea flowers which are toxic. The petals can be added to salads, or cooked slightly and sweetened for a treat.

I like my patio to smell good. I think that I might try these in baskets. That way I can keep them away from the rabbits and they are easy to dump if they don't care for my hot humid summers.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

[mention]MissS[/mention] good on you. Remember to keep pick pick picking as the flowers turn to pods to keep them flowering.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 3:56 pm I like my patio to smell good. I think that I might try these in baskets. That way I can keep them away from the rabbits and they are easy to dump if they don't care for my hot humid summers.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yes. I've seen friend grow some in a basket. A good sized basket should do well.

Does anyone have any favorite varieties that smell good to recommend?

I grow them just about every year and train them to grow up a metal topiary. The fragrance is outstanding.

Thanks for reminding me to start seeds now. I scrounged through my seed box and I still have plenty of seeds left from last year. I sow directly into the ground for spring bloom. I nick and soak my seeds for at least 8 hours before planting.

[mention]SpookyShoe[/mention] Glad you put the packet up online. My sweetpeas grow back every year and when i pick the pods to encourage flowering then i generally just chuck them down on the ground and up they pop next year. but the packet above reminded me that they generally do not like the hot periods of summer, so the varieties you show which are more heat tolerant is something to consider if you are in the hot zones. In the uk, it is generally mild but i find they do race ahead to pod and die if it is a hot summer.

[mention]SpookyShoe[/mention] Thank you so much for the recommendation. I will have to pick up a pack of those for sure. I have heard so much about their lovely fragrance and have been intrigued but I never hear about anyone in the US growing them. All I hear is that the heat wipes them out. We will see how these grow for me.

March and April are when mine bloom.

https://www.botanicalinterests.com/prod ... -Pea-Seeds
The description says these are more heat tolerant than usual, might be worth looking into. Renee's Garden seeds has many varieties too. I think I'll grow some flowers next spring, drought or no drought!