14 SWEET PEAS 



Knight, John Ingman, Janet' Scott, Mrs. Walter Wright, Romolo 

 Piazzani, Mrs. G. Higginson, Paradise, Gladys Unwin, Sybil 

 Eckford, and Mrs. Collier. ' 



Sweet Peas in Borders. When arranging the colours of 

 Sweet Peas in beds or borders the gardener really needs to be 

 a colour artist as well as a floricultural one ; of course this necessity 

 exists in reference to many other flowers, but the Sweet Pea has 

 such a sad way of killing members of its family by contrast. 

 A clump of magenta George Gordon, beautiful though it is, against 

 one of Scarlet Gem looks very unhappy, while groups of Dorothy 

 Tennant, mauve, and Lady Grisel Hamilton, lavender, seem to 

 be ever quarrelling. Borders in the open are excellent, because 

 light and heat are obtained from all sides, yet perhaps the loveliest 

 arrangements can be made in borders against old grey fences or 

 white walls, and if these face south or south-west they are delight- 

 fully snug homes for the plants, and cause them to begin early and 

 to blossom late. A border facing west full of well grown Sweet Peas 

 proves its value during a hot July and August, for when other 

 borders are showing signs of fatigue this one will be fresh and 

 sprightly. Good rich soil is so necessary that I will say nothing 

 about it here ; no gardener, surely, would attempt to grow Sweet 

 Peas in any other ! 



A Simple, Graceful Arrangement is suggested on page 16. 

 At the back is a row of Sweet Peas, of true red tone, such as Mars, 

 Firefly, or the splendid King Edward VII. This row, A, will 

 require rich feeding, to induce the Peas to grow as tall as 

 possible, and their training from youth should be conducted so as 

 to secure height. The spaces at B and C look best filled up with 



FIG. 3. THINNING AND STOPPING SWEET PEAS 



Thinning : B, part of row of seedlings from thick sowing of seed, showing 

 necessity of thinning to secure sturdy plants and fine blooms. C, 

 plants from seed placed in wide drill in double rows, 1 inch apart : 

 q, thinned to 1 inches distance apart ; r, unthinned, 1 inch apart in 

 double row. D, row with plants thinned to 3 inches apart. E, double- 

 drill plants thinned to 6 inches asunder : s, extra thinning to 12 inches 

 apart, stopping them at 6 to 12 inches high to make them branch freely 

 if necessary. 



Stopping : F, plant stopped when 6 inches high : t, growing point nipped 

 off. G, plant stopped when 12 inches high. 



