For the first time ever (!), I grew sweet peas indoors from seed this year and they’re now sitting proudly in pots in our garden.
I love their fragrance and what’s brilliant about them, is that the more you cut them, the more flowers they produce. So I don’t feel guilty about bringing them into the house, as I know there will be more blooms on the plants in the next couple of days.
In today’s post, I thought I’d show you a simple sweet pea arrangement, which I found whilst reading Mark Welford & Stephen Wicks’ book, ‘Flower Arranging’. (You may remember that I reviewed it in a post back in March.)
Below are the pages from the book, where Mark & Stephen provide easy step-by-step instructions on how to create it. I love the idea of using hosta leaves to cover the vase…I just managed to find enough which hadn’t been munched!
So, why not have a go? If you don’t have sweet peas in your garden, they’re available at the moment in the UK in florist shops, garden centres and supermarkets. My arrangement’s now brightening up my bedside table…
As for general information about these delicate flowers, the Latin name for sweet pea is Lathyrus odoratus, meaning ‘fragrant pea’. However, although pea and sweet pea plants are from the same family, there is an important difference, in that sweet peas are poisonous.
As cut flowers, sweet peas are generally available in the UK from March until July, in purple, pink, white and cream.
And if you’d like to grow your own sweet peas, you could put a note in your diary to buy the seeds for sowing indoors in February or March next year.
P.S. Did you know that there’s even a National Sweet Pea Society in the UK?
(Images : Rona Wheeldon for Flowerona)
Reminds me of those sushi blocks we used to make. They are still in demand but I refuse to make them as I’d rather they spend more money buying bouquets or plants! Heehee! Congratulations on your column in Wedding Flowers Magazine!
Hi Nicole. I know exactly what you mean re the ‘sushi blocks’ we used to make using small pieces of oasis foam! Thank you very much for your congratulations :-).