Our Blog

Our Blog

Our Blog

What is an AGM?

What is an AGM?

The Royal Horticultural Society’s principal award to plants today, is the Award of Garden Merit. This can be granted to all sorts of plants from orchids to potatoes and trees. Of course, Sweet Peas are just one of the plants that have been assessed for this prestigious award.Usually, a trial…

Read the full article
Bicolours and Reverse Bicolours

Bicolours and Reverse Bicolours

Many of us will be familiar with the idea of bicoloured flowers, where the flower shows two distinct, different colours. In sweet peas there is also the concept of reverse bicolours. But first, a quick definition of some flowery terms. The sweet pea flower has three different groups of petals. The…

Read the full article
Which Sweet Peas are best for cut flowers?

Which Sweet Peas are best for cut flowers?

You've seen beautiful sweet peas in a garden setting but you'd love to have them as cut flowers - a vase for your own enjoyment, a gift for a friend or even to enter in a gardening or horticultural show - but what should you grow? Choosing the right sweet peas…

Read the full article
What are sweet peas?

What are sweet peas?

It’s easy to get caught up in the types, forms, and different growing methods for sweet peas but let’s go back to basics – what are sweet peas?Sweet peas are flowering plants known for their fragrant and colourful blooms.These plants are annuals, meaning they complete their life cycle within one…

Read the full article
Can I grow Sweet Peas in pots?

Can I grow Sweet Peas in pots?

The short answer is yes, but of course, there's a longer answer too...If you have space and a suitable spot, you'll probably find it easier and get better results to grow plants in the ground rather than in containers. The main reasons for this are that there are likely to…

Read the full article
Sowing Sweet Peas in Autumn – an expert’s view, by Phil Johnson

Sowing Sweet Peas in Autumn – an expert’s view, by Phil Johnson

Much has been written over the decades about this subject and the key points continue to hold true to this day. I sowed my first Sweet Peas in Autumn in 1983 and have done so every year since, so I have a degree of hands-on experience. Our Autumn sown plants…

Read the full article
What is the most strongly scented Sweet Pea?

What is the most strongly scented Sweet Pea?

What is the most strongly scented Sweet Pea?We could write a book on this subject! There are a number of factors that affect our perception of scent in Sweet PeasWeather – scent is always stronger on a warm sunny day – the essential oils warm and are released. Dull, cloudy, damp…

Read the full article
Ripples, Stripes, Flakes and Fancies

Ripples, Stripes, Flakes and Fancies

As well as single "self" colours, sweet peas have all sorts of patterns and are often known as "novelties" or "fancies". This picture is of Sweet Pea Nimbus - it has a white background and an inky blue colour on the backs of the petals and a coloured rim around…

Read the full article