30 
THE GARDEN ALBUM AND REVIEW. 
THE CULTURE OF SWEET PEAS. 
There are perhaps few plants that give so 
much pleasure for a trifling outlay as the 
Sweet Pea—Lathyrus odoratus. Almost any¬ 
one can grow Sweet Peas sufficiently well to 
make the little trouble involved really a source 
of considerable pleasure. And there is no 
garden, either great or small, that would not 
look all the brighter for having these plants in 
them during the summer months. 
Any ordinary good garden soil is capable of 
producing excellent Sweet Peas. At the same 
time one should not despise the best methods 
of culture adopted by experts, to secure masses 
of blossom either for decorative purposes or 
for the exhibition table. A soil that has been 
deeply dug, and that contains a liberal amount 
of well-decayed manure will give the best 
results. Not only does deep digging improve 
the drainage of the soil; it also accelerates the 
upward passage of moisture to the roots, by 
means of capillary attraction, during the 
summer months, when it may be a matter 
of some difficulty to secure w T ater. The 
presence of organic material such as well- 
decayed stable manure, or the remains of an 
old hot-bed or mushroom-bed is also of the 
utmost value. It keeps the temperature at 
the roots in a more equable state, retains the 
hygroscopic moisture for a much longer period, 
and yields up the valuable salts it contains for 
the benefits of the plants. 
Of course, Sweet Peas will flourish in certain 
soils and situations far better than in others. 
There is no reason, however, why good 
blossoms should not be grown in almost 
any garden in the kingdom with ordinary 
skill and attention. The time for sowing 
Sweet Peas depends a good deal upon what 
may be the object in view. For the pro¬ 
duction of blossom in April and May, for 
example, the seeds should be sown the previous 
year during August, September or October— 
not in the open ground, but in Sin. or ioin. 
pots. From seven to ten seeds are sown in 
each pot, and the young plants are grown 
steadily on in the gentle heat of a greenhouse, 
or even in a frame from which frost is excluded. 
Earlier in the year for succession crops, Sweet 
Peas may be sown also in pots in January and 
February, and placed in a cold frame. In this 
way nice sturdy clumps of plants may be raised 
so as to be ready for planting out in the open 
air about the end of April or during May, 
according to the state of the weather. 
Where neither cold frames nor greenhouses 
exist, a sowing of Sweet Peas may be made in 
the open ground during February, March, 
April and May, to secure a succession of bloom. 
In the milder parts of the kingdom the seeds 
maybe sown as early as October and November, 
but in most places it is scarcely worth while 
taking this risk. 
Staking. — This is a point of some little 
importance. If the young plants when only a 
few 7 inches high are not guided upwards with 
the aid of thin twigs they very soon topple over 
and become entangled in one another in such a 
way that it is afterwards impossible to separate 
them without great injury. As the stems 
increase in length still longer twigs must be 
put to them, and eventually sticks four to five 
feet in height will be needed to keep the plants 
upright in their flowering quarters. 
Sometimes difficulty is experienced in obtain¬ 
ing suitable stakes at a reasonable price. Tar 
twine makes an excellent substitute, and is even 
considered an improvement on the stakes. In 
the first place the tar twine, which is greased, 
is cheaper than the stakes, and possesses the 
advantage of retaining its strength for two or 
three years, and is thus available either for the 
same or other purpose. Besides this, when a 
network is made of it, with the help of a few 
stout stakes, it looks as though the Sw 7 eet Peas 
were standing up out of the ground on the 
strength of their own stems, as the tar twine is 
practically invisible to the casual observer. 
During the summer months there may be 
some difficulty in keeping sufficient moisture 
round the roots of the plants. Watering may 
be necessary, but if it can be possibly dispensed 
with it is better to do so. It will be found a 
superior method to use the hoe frequently about 
the plants, just to flake up the surface, and 
transform it into a mulch. By this means 
evaporation of moisture from the soil will be 
considerably checked, and the plants will con¬ 
tinue in luxuriant foliage and abundant blossom. 
If a thin layer of leaf-soil or the remains of an 
old hot-bed can be spread on the surface of the 
soil so much the better. The danger of watering 
is that it washes away the soil from the young 
roots and exposes them to the burning sun. It 
also excites the tender roots to come to the 
surface, and unless liberal supplies are given 
they very soon become parched up and die. 
To encourage the development of blossom 
for a long period it is advisable to cut off the 
flowers frequently to prevent the setting of 
seed. Unless this matter is attended to 
regularly, the blossoms soon fade, the pods 
begin to swell, and the glory of the plants is 
soon over. They cannot throw blossom and 
ripen seeds at the same time—so one or the 
other must be sacrificed. 
The following are a few of the best kinds of 
Sweet Peas arranged according to their 
predominating colour. 
White .—Dorothy Eckford, Blanche Burpee, 
Sadie Burpee, Mont Blanc, Emily Henderson. 
Blush .—Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of 
Aberdeen, Sensation, Modesty, Fairy Queen, 
Blushing Beauty. 
Yellow and Buff. — Hon. Mrs. Kenyon, Dora 
Breadmore, Lady Mary Ormesby-Gore, Queen 
Victoria. 
Pink .—Gladys Unwin, Prima Donna, 
Bolton’s Pink, Janet Scott, Lovely, Countess 
Spencer. 
