Kitchen Garden Forum

I've never understood the fascination with these flowers.

I did grow them once with the view to bring them in as cut flowers, but they were so full of tiny little bugs that I didn't want to bring them inside and have a house full of bugs.

Do the have any other use?

Piglet6. Been growing them for some twenty-five years now. Memsahib likes them as cut flowers. Re little beast's, understand they are quiet nice grilled, though I have never tried them myself.

I have a particular liking for sweet peas. I can understand that it can be off-putting to find them infested the only time you've grown them. A friend had a similar experience with his getting infested with aphids, which put him off ever growing them again. To give up on something just because it didn't work out the first time for him doesn't seem sensible to me. I've grown them for years and some years they have been poor, for reasons which have been out of my control. With sweet peas, you get as much out of them as you put in, which is why I find them so rewarding. To get good ones does take some work, I will admit. Why I find them so beguiling, though, is harder to pin-point. Their fragrance, I think it's safe to say.

Oh yes, and to get rid of the bugs: immerse the cut flowers completely in a bucket of water for an hour.

I grow them next to the vegetable patch to attract the friendly beasties

VPM
x

I grow them as it reminds me of my grandad,

I too have grown them for years and I agree they do get full of bugs I just shake them lightly before I bring them into the house. I have struggled this year as they have died from the bottom, going pale and papery. But I have managed to get quite a good amount to pick and the perfume they produce is brilliant.

Well, you have all given me lovely reasons why sweet peas are a gardener's favourite. I DO like the fragrance it has to be said.

You have all convinced me to have another go next year. Maybe I'll cut some flowers, immerse them 'bottoms up' in a bucket of water, then I can fish the bugs out and grill them for tea

I can start them off earlier next year in my greenhouse (when it's constructed).

Thanks everyone

If the bugs in question are the black pollen beetles then apparently if you put them in a dark place with light coming from a window - such as a garage - and leave them a few hours , the beetles fly out and into the window.

They smell so nice & attract pollinators! Put mine in some water outside before bringing them in the house & that gives time for the wee critters to make their way back to the 'live' plants! Mine at lottie are really behind (3rd sowing, thank you birds!) - hoping for an Indian Summer!

Westi

Yes, they were tiny little black beetle-y things.

Westi wrote:They smell so nice & attract pollinators! Put mine in some water outside before bringing them in the house & that gives time for the wee critters to make their way back to the 'live' plants! Mine at lottie are really behind (3rd sowing, thank you birds!) - hoping for an Indian Summer!

Westi

Usually the first flower stems are long with several flower heads. This year they are very short with only one or two flower heads.

As for the pollen beetles - I understand that the increase in oil seed rape has increased the beetles.

Diane wrote:I grow them as it reminds me of my grandad,

I first grew Sweet peas at a change in my life, this change whilst being sad was a positive change that bought happiness.

I have now grown my very first fantastic array of sweet peas in Pembrokeshire, the last two attempts were blown away with the previous attempt being poorly organised.

Right now my whole house smells of sweet peas, I take a couple of bunches a week to the doctors surgery and a couple to my only neighbour because they make me happy.

I never had any bugs.

We always choose the most fragrant varieties (which tend to be in light blue or white colour range, I find) and every year give away big bunches to all our family, friends and neighbours. They are particularly prolific this year, but the stems are now shortening, as GL says.
Even our local hostelry has displayed our sweet peas on their tables this year, because we have had so many! And I don't think we have ever had little black bugs on them, just greenfly when they are on the wane in late summer.

I love their scent and I love to give the first bunch to my Mum. Alas, I'm not very good at growing them and I only seem to ever have one flower per stem rather than the 2 or 3 there should be.