Hello,

You might have already seen that I am growing 35 different Sweet Pea varieties this year and calling it my trial year. Welcoming back some lovely varieties to the garden and it’s wonderful to be meeting new to me Sweet Pea varieties like:

Spring Sunshine ‘Nancy’

Spring Sunshine ‘Champagne’

Spring Sunshine ‘Peach’

Spring Sunshine ‘Cream’.

 

 

The Spring Sunshine Sweet Peas are part of a series developed by Sweet Pea breeder Owls Acre Seeds.

The majority of the stems are thick and sturdy  (in a good way), and between 20-35cm long. I can imagine that these sweet peas would be great for bridal work, how lovely to dot them through the bouquets or carry a gorgeous big bunch of these sweet peas.

The sweet peas aren’t as strongly scented as some of the other sweet peas I grow, that isn’t a complaint, just an observation.

To be honest, these are not colours I am drawn to so it has taken me a little bit to adjust to them, they are beautiful, just not colours I’m naturally drawn to and I’m glad to have grown them. This Trial Year is about pushing myself and trying different things, getting up close to the sweet peas and learning from them.

 

 

‘Nancy’ tends more towards pinkish watermelon tones and is quite bright when it first flowers. The watermelon -y -ness does start to fade on day 3 or 4.

 

 

‘Cream’ is lovely and I can see why the breeder Owl Acre Seeds has included the cream, even though some might think why bother since there are many other cream sweet peas available in the marketplace. The ‘Cream’ is darling on its own and also the  common thread that ties the collection together like a matching set.

 

 

‘Peach’ is slow to bloom and through no fault of its own . I’ve just realised why this sweet pea is behind and it has to do with where I place the water sprinkler and where this ‘Peach’ is planted. The colours change dramatically as the blooms age, all beautiful.

 

 

‘Champagne’ is divine and a favourite so far. Funny story, last year a rogue sweet pea came up and I adored it. Over Winter that rogue sweep pea was the sweet pea I thought about the most. I spent a lot of time searching through sweet pea catalogues trying to identify the rogue and guess what, it looks like the rogue was ‘Champagne’. So happy with this sweet pea revelation.

 

With so many new to me varieties I planted contrasting colours next to each other. For example, I planted soft pink sweet pea varieties in between cream varieties to keep the pinks separate.

 

 

Sending love from the garden, take precious care, Jude x

 

Ps. Have you seen my new website yet? There is a now a Sweet Pea page here.