FEBRUARY 



IRISH GARDENING. 



25 



Sweet Peas. 



I\\\\S much nattered at beini;- asked to send 

 in some notes on " Sweet Peas "' to this 

 paper. Judg-jng- from what I have seen 

 at tlie shows tliere are a great many people 

 who know as much or more than I do on this 

 subject, but perhaps the following- may be a 

 help to the numerous people who would like to 

 grow and show s\\ eet peas good enough to win 

 prizes for them. 



I wonder how often I have been asked the 

 question — " Who do you get the seeds from ? " 

 There is evidently a vague idea in the back of 

 most people's minds that there is some wonder- 

 ful seedsman, who supplies a favoured few, 

 from whom it is possible to buy seeds guaranteed 

 to produce plants (without further trouble) good 

 enough to win anywhere the flowers are shown. 

 But if there is such a man I don't know his 

 address. 



Buy good seeds and buy them early, and pay 

 a fair price, and unless you have plenty of space 

 in your garden (and, between ourselves, a very 

 good temper) do not go in largely for novelties, 

 try one or two of the new ones, say an orange 

 shade and a scarlet, both difficult to get good 

 in the Spencer form, but both grand when you 

 have got them ; but don't go in altogether for 

 novelties — they may be a great success or they 

 maybe a great failure. Grow a fair number, at 

 least ten plants of each variety. Don't grow 

 too many nearly alike varieties, it is wiser to 

 grow the varieties that are quite distinct. 



The following make a good six : — Etta 

 Dyke (white), Asta Ohn Clavender), Clara 

 Curtis (cream), Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes (blush). 

 King Edward Spencer (crimson), and Elsie 

 Herbert (white, pink edge). For twelve 

 add : — Evelyn Hemus (cream pink edge), D. Un- 

 win or Nubian (dark maroon), Constance Oliver 

 (cream pink), Mrs. A. Ireland (bicolor). Lord 

 Nelson (dark blue), and Mrs. Townsend (blue 

 picotee). Lovely, but more expensive, are 

 Earl Spencer (salmon), C. Stark, Improved 

 (scarlet), Edna Unwin (orange), Mrs. II. Dick- 

 son (pink shade), Sun-proof Crimson, and man\ 

 others. Plant the seeds in pots, in good, friable 

 soil (no fresh manure in it), have it moist, but not 

 wet. It is a good plan to count the seeds, and 

 put numbers, as well as name and date, on the 

 label. A cold greenhouse will do to put the 

 pots in. Not having one at present, I aiti put- 



ting the pots in a dry, dark cellar, and lind the 

 seeds germinate well there, but oi course they 

 must be removed to a place with daylight 

 as soon as they appear above the soil. Win- 

 dows facing south or west will give ihem any 

 sunlight there is in December and January ; 

 the windows should be opened when the w eather 

 is fine. W'hen the plants are some inches high 

 I put them out in a cold frame whidi faces south. 

 The lights should be kept off all day, except in 

 very heavy rain or hard frost. The thing to be 

 aimed at is to g'et the plants hardy, not poc^r, 

 w eedv, starved things. 



Slugs are alwavs to be reckoned willi, and a 

 sharp look out must be kept for them. Air- 

 slaked lime is a great preventive — lightly 

 shaken over even the youngest seedling it seems 

 to have no bad effects on the plants, hut will 

 kill the hardiest slug and will also keep his 

 relatives from coming to finish the destruction 

 he has begun. When planting-out time comes 

 this lime should be used freely, and after heavy 

 lains it should be laid round the plants, as on 

 warm, damp evenings the slug tribe are on the 

 warpath. 



The earlier in the year the groimd is prepared 

 the better, so that there will be no fresh manure 

 for the roots to come in contact with. There 

 should be a deep and wide rooting surface, not 

 a hole or trench dug, and the surrounding ground 

 left hard. This latter should be also well dug, 

 so that the roots may spread into it, and that it 

 also may retain moisture. In the holes or 

 trenches mix the earth and manure, and let it 

 settle w-ith about 6 inches of fine earth over the 

 mixture ; in this, set out the seedlings, \2 inches 

 apart is not too much if the ground has been 

 well prepared, stake with small twigs and dust 

 with lime. 



There are three things to be remembered in 

 the growing of Sweet Peas — ist, that they, 

 having only a few months to come to perfection 

 in, must be given every care, and, if possible, 

 not allowed to get a check from any cause ; 2nd, 

 that unless the ground is properly prepared, 

 good results cannot be expected ; 3rd, it is 

 impossible to win prizes without taking trouble, 



E. O. 



e^ a?" tf?* 



" It is tliL' wisdom and yoodiiess of gardening- which 

 makes it suoh .'i deep and enduring happiness. It is 

 thaiikfiihiess, reverence, and love which make ourg.ir 

 liens dear to us from childhood to old age."— DeanHui. 



