Sweet pea how tall

Careful, though. Unlike edible garden peas , sweet peas are poisonous. Sweet pea flowers are available with either smooth or ruffled petals in shades of pink, red, maroon, purple, lavender, salmon, peach, cream and white, not to mention bicolors. The scented blossoms make long-lasting cut flowers. Vine-type sweet peas are 5 to 6 feet tall in most cases but can reach 8 or 10 feet in mild, coastal climates.

Sweet peas prefer cool weather, so they may start to wither with higher summer temperatures. Or plant them together with morning glories, which will eventually overtake their partners and cover up the fading sweet peas. Plant sweet peas in a sunny, well-drained site that has a neutral to slightly alkaline pH 7. If the soil is acid, sprinkle ground limestone on top until it looks like a powdered brownie, then work it in.

They want warm soil to germinate, but need to start early enough to grow strong, deep roots. The best time to plant sweet pea seeds outside depends on your area's typical winter weather: If it is mild with low temperatures around freezing, sow sweet pea seeds in fall; if it is harsh and can get well below freezing for long periods of time, wait for spring, but plant as early as you can work the soil.

Here's how:. This process warms the soil enough to germinate the seeds while the weather is still cool enough to keep the growing plants happy. And because it places rich nutrients deep below the plants, it encourages them to develop roots that will help the plants endure hot weather well into summer. Here's a few sweet pea cultivars to try:. Type Annual vine Blooms Rich bicolor blooms in deep violet purple and blue in early spring to midsummer Light Full sun to part shade Size 6 to 8 ft.

Keep moist. Seedlings usually appear in days. Pinch out the growing tip, when two pairs of leaves have formed, to encourage bushy growth.

Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions avoid frosts , before planting out into well-drained soil, March-May, 30cm 12" apart. Support with tall canes or netting. Or, sow outdoors for ease, April-May, where they are to flower, 1. Sow 2 seeds together, every 30cm 12". Remove weaker seedling, which can then be transplanted. Seeds sown in autumn generally flower earlier the following year. Flowers: May to October.

Pick blooms regularly to prolong the flowering season. I put sweet pea seeds out this morning using the above method and a few of them have split open on their own already. I also use this method to weed out the slower growing "weaker" plants. Cutting them at the preferred height will encourage the plant to grow more from the base, resulting in a bushier plant. However, it won't just stop growing where you cut it.

You'll have to maintain the height by periodically trimming over-growth. We live in the UK and grow sweet peas every year. At one spot in our sweet pea bed the plant always dies, the others are fine.

Can you suggest any reason please. There must be an underlying issue with the spot. It could be a number of things… Does water tend to pool there? Or are there roots or rocks in that spot that prevent the plants from rooting well enough to survive the heat of summer? Is the spot exposed to more—or less—sunlight than elsewhere? Does a pet like to use that spot to do his or her business? Consider what might set that spot apart from the rest of the bed, and also remember to amend the soil with compost or fertilizer every now and again.

We are in northern VA, but get a lot of heat during the day in the summer- which I understand sweet peas do not like. I am hoping to put ours in a container. Am I better off putting them where they will be in an area with afternoon shade? Last time we put nasturturiums in the sunny area they were supposed to like they refused to grow, seemed to wilt in the heat and sun. If you want to move the plant daily then you might be able to baby the plant.

Otherwise I would find a spot that meets most of the growing criteria and possibly get a small decorative fence or canopy that will shade the plant during the hottest parts of the day.

Should I plant the seeds that I have already gotten from several of my plants at the same time that the plants pods open and drop theirs naturally? I would like to have some growing on my garden arbor. It receives great morning sun up until about noon, then a nice shading from some trees and then dappled light from about 1 pm on to sunset. I have ground cover that I can move outta the way until the shoots are tall enough to reach the bottom of the arbor about 4 inches above the soil.

I'm looking to fill this spot for a June wedding in Some guidance please If you have seen plants come up from the dropped seeds, then it sounds like a good idea. Alternatively, purchase some seeds and start them at the appropriate time. Im so happy I came across your site.

I live in Tampa, Fl not sure what zone I live in. From what your chart suggested I should start planting in late Jan, is that correct? I dont have alot of natural sunlight on my property. What would you recommend I do? Its mostly shady and the mostly sand not dirt. Im afraid I might not be successful when I do plant them. Any input would greatly be appreciated. You will need sunshine as indicated above. Most plants need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. If you get sunshine, you need proper soil.

I live in Northern Michigan and we have sweet peas in the wild in ditches throughout our county Montmorency. I stopped on a dirt road this morning and couldn't resist digging up a couple of plants from a ditch to plant along a fenceline in my garden area. My question is are there any special considerations to a successful transplant? If you're able to keep it alive, rooting hormone follow directions on bottle before you transplant might be helpful.

Keep the plant inside, in water and some miracle geo or other plant food and in a bright room until it's "calmed down" or not as stressed from being uprooted.

Water sweet peas growing in pots, and during very dry weather. Monty explains how picking at regular intervals will keep your plants flowering right through summer and into September. Young sweet pea plants are prone to slug and snail damage. Try using beer traps, copper bands, or the biological control, Nemaslug, to deter them.

Find out more about keeping slugs and snails away. In hot, sunny weather, the soil around plants can become especially parched, and for sweet peas, can cause them to drop their flowers.

Seed can be collected in early September. Leave the seed pods on the plants until they have turned a paper bag colour. Collect them on a dry day, remove them from their pods and store in paper bags in a dry place until you a ready to sow them. Browse the fantastic range of fully mature hardy perennials, shrubs, ferns, grasses and bulbs to create a spectacular garden to enjoy all year round.

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