Climbing the walls for sweet peas

Sweet peas are one of my favourite flowers. As long as you plant them in a sunny, well-
drained spot they will provide fantastic colour and height to any garden. Sweat peas usually
grow to between 120 and 180 centimeters.

Don’t have much space? Never fear, they also work really well in large pots.

Alternatively, why not try the dwarf variety in a hanging basket? They grow to about 30 or 40
centimeters and cascade really nicely down the side of a basket.

Once you’ve worked out where to plant them, head down to your local Bunnings, The
Warehouse, or supermarket and grab some of Awapuni’s Traditional Value or Pop’n’Grow sweet
pea seedlings. Or jump online to www.awapuni.co.nz and get the seedlings delivered right to
your door.

They can be grown from seeds, but our seedlings have their own individual root systems, which
helps them to flower faster.

And there’s a huge range of colours to choose from – white or pastel blues to vibrant pinks and
violets.

While you’re out pick up some bamboo stakes, netting or light frame – depending on where
you’re going to plant them.

Planting in a pot? You’ll need four to five bamboo stakes – same goes if you don’t have a wall to
grow them up.

Planting by a wall? You’ll need to add some netting, wire or light wooded frame to the wall for
the flowers to climb up.

Wherever you plant, simply space the seedlings about 20cm apart from each other. Once they
start to mature, the less you water the leaves the better they turn out.

Because they’re annual plants you just need to remember to pick off the flowers once they’re
spent. And you should remove the whole plant when it’s stopped flowering.

Now you just have to wait 10 to 12 weeks for your wall of colour to arrive.

Tod Palenski
Awapuni Nurseries
www.awapuni.co.nz