Wild sweet peas

Discussion in 'Herbs and Wildflowers' started by claire5572, Oct 17, 2010.

  1. claire5572

    claire5572 Apprentice Gardener

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    hi can anyone help my mum has the most amasing wild sweet peas come up every year in her garden, I have collected some of the seeds but have no idear of the best thing to do so i can also have these flowers year after year

    please help
     
  2. Alice

    Alice Gardener

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    Keep the seeds in a cool, dry place, in a brown envelope or something Claire.
    Come spring soak the seeds overnight in tepid water and plant 1 to 3" pot. They will soon come up and you can just harden off and plant out.

    Are these wild peas or just perennial peas ?
    Perennial peas - no problem, but if wild peas be careful where you plant them. They do spread a bit and once you've got them they are very hard to get rid off.
     
  3. Aesculus

    Aesculus Bureaucrat 34 (Admin)

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    Sounds like everlasting sweet pea (Lathyrus sylvestris) usually less sweetly scented then the annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odaratus) and I think only in colours ranging from white to dark pink, supposedly native although depending on where it's found it's more likely to be introduced
     
  4. Alice

    Alice Gardener

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    Yes, that's what I would call Perennial Sweet Peas and they are fine. Lacking in scent a bit as you say Aesculus but not problematic in any way.

    The wild peas I'm thinking about are pale purple only (although I think they come in Yellow as well) and are real thugs.
     
  5. claire5572

    claire5572 Apprentice Gardener

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    thankyou both for your help these are pink flowers( all pertty much the same colour) and have a realy dark green leaf and are generally thicker and stirdier that the ones you get in shops.
    no one ever planted them but we get almost iniendated every year !!! but so far have never managed to grow them anywere else

    thanks for your tips

    claire
     
  6. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    They sound like the perennial variety in that case Claire - tough as old boots and very pretty.
     
  7. Alice

    Alice Gardener

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    Yes, as Sussexgardener says, perennial sweet peas.
    Take seeds as said above and they will get on fine and be lovely.
     
  8. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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    Found this thread and it reminded me of walking along Bossington Beach, West Somerset in early April and taking pics of sweet peas growing at the back of the pebble beach:

    [​IMG]

    I've seen them in bloom before, but can't remember what colour they were.
     
  9. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    Did you see the Dodder growing on the Gorse bushes up on Selworthy Beacon Scrunge ?
     
  10. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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    Haven't been up there in a couple of years. I did my gorse flower picking for wine near the coastguard lookout at Hurlestone Point.

    I was wondering when those sweet peas at the back of the beach would be in bloom?
     
  11. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    Gorse is a painfull wine to make, but worth it.

    I would imagine the peas will be flowering soon.
     
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