I was determined to grow a sweet pea but the weather in Washignton DC is so extreme that it has been difficult to get a plant to bloom. This year on Feb 1, 2016 I planted Little Sweethearts, a petite variety that is supposed to grow bushy.
I began them indoors: after soaking the seeds overnight, 1 set was planted directly into a 6inch by 6 inch container, and others in little starter cans that would later be transplanted to larger containers once the weather warmed up. February was cold; the seedlings emerged within a week, germinating nicely but remained indoors for the month. In March I gradually moved everything outside, occasionally bringing the plants back indoors if the weather got too cold.
I was plagued by little soil gnats, and no amount of using Natria or Neem oil pest control could get rid of them. I even tried putting garlic on the soil hoping the smell would drive them away, but to no avail.
We had a few stellar days in April, but May was unusually cool for this area. And I think that helped the plants. In late April-May I began adding a few drops of liquid fertilizer when watering. Unfortunately all the transplanted seedlings gradually died off - I think the shock was too much for them. It was so disappointing to see that even though they appeared to initially thrive, they just dried up bit by bit.
However,the plant that had been started off in the 6by6 container which had not been transplanted, did really well. I watched with bated breath as miniature buds formed - one has already dropped, but the other swelled up, and grew ... and bloomed into a marvelous pink little flower. It was miraculous to watch it go from a hairy little green bud, to a little off-white looking emergence, and then hints of pink which finally deepened into a spectacular flower on June 12th. It took a full 4 months and 2 weeks for this to happen. The flower does not seem to have any scent but is lovely nonetheless.
I still have a handful of soil gnats, but I think with the weather warming up they are gradually disappearing. In the meantime, the plant seems to have a few other small buds debating on whether to grow...I am hoping the temperatures stay lower than normal for this region (it has been in the low 80s in June thus far).
It is such a treat to have my morning coffee, and taking in this spectacular beauty. It's a great way to start the day before the chaos of work sets in.
I was determined to grow a sweet pea but the weather in Washignton DC is so extreme that it has been difficult to get a plant to bloom. This year on Feb 1, 2016 I planted Little Sweethearts, a petite variety that is supposed to grow bushy.
I began them indoors: after soaking the seeds overnight, 1 set was planted directly into a 6inch by 6 inch container, and others in little starter cans that would later be transplanted to larger containers once the weather warmed up. February was cold; the seedlings emerged within a week, germinating nicely but remained indoors for the month. In March I gradually moved everything outside, occasionally bringing the plants back indoors if the weather got too cold.
I was plagued by little soil gnats, and no amount of using Natria or Neem oil pest control could get rid of them. I even tried putting garlic on the soil hoping the smell would drive them away, but to no avail.
We had a few stellar days in April, but May was unusually cool for this area. And I think that helped the plants. In late April-May I began adding a few drops of liquid fertilizer when watering. Unfortunately all the transplanted seedlings gradually died off - I think the shock was too much for them. It was so disappointing to see that even though they appeared to initially thrive, they just dried up bit by bit.
However,the plant that had been started off in the 6by6 container which had not been transplanted, did really well. I watched with bated breath as miniature buds formed - one has already dropped, but the other swelled up, and grew ... and bloomed into a marvelous pink little flower. It was miraculous to watch it go from a hairy little green bud, to a little off-white looking emergence, and then hints of pink which finally deepened into a spectacular flower on June 12th. It took a full 4 months and 2 weeks for this to happen. The flower does not seem to have any scent but is lovely nonetheless.
I still have a handful of soil gnats, but I think with the weather warming up they are gradually disappearing. In the meantime, the plant seems to have a few other small buds debating on whether to grow...I am hoping the temperatures stay lower than normal for this region (it has been in the low 80s in June thus far).
It is such a treat to have my morning coffee, and taking in this spectacular beauty. It's a great way to start the day before the chaos of work sets in.