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Wed, Nov 10, 10 at 11:06
| I winter sowed these sweet pea seeds, planted them out in a nice pot with trellis (used for other sweet peas last year), they grew beautifully but never flowered. It is now November, these plants have been hit several times by frost and they are still perfectly green. Is this variety possibly perennial? I have read quite a few descriptions from UK mostly, which call them 'hardy' but could they be hardy to Zone 5A (Canada)? I remember my frist experience with sweet peas, which did not flower, but they turned out to be the perennial version. The foliage of these plants do not look like the perennial type which are still growing in my garden. I still have time to put them in the ground. Is is worth it or are they just very hardy?
Northerner. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| They are listed as Lathyrus odoratus so should be the fragrant annual type if your seeds were correctly marked. I can't explain the no blooms on yours though, although it's not unusual for the plants to go through a few light freezes. The only reason I know for the annual types not blooming is allowing them to dry out at exactly the wrong time, they will then drop buds. But that should be a one time occurrence at best, not something that would happen over and over in the same season without them forming new buds to flower. |
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- Posted by countrycarolyn 6-7 nw TN (My Page) on Thu, Nov 11, 10 at 9:03
| The coldest zone in the uk is zone 7. The majority of the country is considered zone 8 but there is even some zone 9. Hha means it is an annual that reseeds it self. |
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| Hha - half hardy annual - The half hardy classification refers only to temperature/frost tolerance - it may or may not self sow. Most will handle cool nights, some will take brushes with light frost, and aren't completely dependent on warmer soil temperatures to germinate. |
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| I would plant them now, cut back to a foot and water well, and top with a light mulch--a few inches of raked up leaves is fine. Then, after you've had a cold dip that freezes the soil, put a few more inches of any mulch. I don't think you'll have to water this much, if at all, until early spring when you pull back the mulch and check on the sprouts. Sweet peas are remarkable hardy and I think transplanting them now will work out well. |
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- Posted by northerner_on Z5A ONCanada (My Page) on Sun, Dec 5, 10 at 9:49
| Hello ladies, I did not forget my manners but we were called away to an unexpected (but delightful) vacation in the Dominican Republic. Thank you all for your responses. I was able to plant them and mulch them before we left, and when I returned they were still green, even though we had a snowfall, and it had been below freezing several nights. I have now cut them back and added some more leaves, so now I will see what happens over the winter. We are having a rather mild winter snow-wise, nothing on the ground and not much in the forecast either. Perhaps it will be a green Christmas for us. Happy holidays to you all!! |
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| I don't think your Spencers will survive the winter in Canada. They are definitely considered annuals here and I've never heard of anyone growing them as perennials nor can I find any references to that. The usual way is to sow them under glass in the winter and plant out in the spring. They like a long growing season and also require a deep root run. I don't know why yours didn't flower, nor do I understand why they are still green, possibly because they haven't yet flowered and therefore have not yet fulfilled their purpose ie producing seed. Mine were over in October. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet peas
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- Posted by ladyrose65 6bNJ (My Page) on Sat, Dec 25, 10 at 2:34
| Northerner_UK, did you have issues with other flowers not flowering? It could be to much nitrogen in the soil or too much salts from chem fert. causing potassium/phosphate block. I grow roses, you learn alot about dirt! |
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