Growing the Finest Sweet Peas 
THE WHOLE ART OF GROWING ONE OF THE MOST DESERVEDLY POPULAR GARDEN FAVOR¬ 
ITES-VARIETIES THAT HAVE BEEN TRIED AND FOUND TRUE, IN THE VARIOUS COLORS 
By Edwin Jenkins 
Superintendent of “Beliefontaine” Gardens, Lenox, Mass. 
Photograph by Nathan R. Graves 
E VERYONE who has a garden, large or small, should not 
neglect planting Sweet Peas, for there is hardly another 
flower giving more pleasure to the grower for the small expenditure 
necessary for its successful cultivation. Almost every day through 
a season of three or four months this beautiful annual will lend 
notes of varied color to the landscape, and supply the house with 
cut-flowers of exquisite fragrance. 
Passing from its decorative merits to the cultural methods, 
which, as here set forth, are the result of the writer’s own experi¬ 
ence in specializing on the subject, in which there have been no 
particular soils or advantages other 
than those met with in common almost 
everywhere, it is interesting to note 
that by following the methods de¬ 
scribed, sprays producing seven flow¬ 
ers each were produced in quantities 
of bloom on strong vines from nine to 
ten feet in height. 
PREPARING THE SOIL 
In preparing the soil to receive 
seeds for Sweet Peas one does not have 
to go back as far as Oliver Wendell 
Holmes’ estimate of the beginning 
time of a man’s education —a hundred 
years; however, it is necessary to be¬ 
gin in the autumn before if we would 
hope for the most perfect plants. 
Having selected the planting plot 
(which can stand a little shade, as 
the plants will be the better for 
it in hot weather, and such varie¬ 
ties as the “ Henry Eckford ” will also 
be set off to the best advantage 
thereby), lay out your rows from four 
to six feet apart, depending on the 
extent of the area at your disposal. 
Then place stakes at each end of the 
rows and open up trenches two feet 
wide and thirty inches deep. As the 
bottom soil for eighteen inches is 
scarcely fit for anything in most sec¬ 
tions of the country, it should be turned 
out to form paths between the trenches, 
first removing the good soil from this 
section to a depth of nine inches, which, with the good soil first 
taken out in trenching, will probably fill the trenches again. 
But in replacing the dug-out soil mix with it some well rotted 
stable manure, and about ioo pounds of plain superphosphate to 
every hundred feet. Likewise add a half bushel of fine lime to 
counteract the acidity of the soil, and to keep away worm pests 
of all sorts. The soil, and the manurial additions to it, should 
be made as fine as possible for out-door seed-sowing. 
BUYING THE SEED 
As the cost of the seed forms but a small portion of the total 
cost of growing the plants, it is foolish economy to invest in cheap 
seeds that one does not obtain from a reputable seedsman, whose 
business depends on his integrity in keeping up to standards, and 
whose word and recommendation therefore it is pretty safe to 
trust. As an ounce of Sweet Pea seed will contain over four hun¬ 
dred potential plants, it will be seen that this quantity will be 
sufficient for a good display of any variety in any good-sized garden, 
as in the planting these seeds will be about nine inches apart. 
SOWING THE SEED 
One can hardly be too early in the matter of out-door sowing. 
So long as the ground is dry enough to 
walk on without clinging to shoes and gar¬ 
den tools, the soil will be safe enough 
to begin planting in. Take a garden 
line and run it along the trenches 
of prepared soil to make possible 
opening up the drills, to a width 
of nine inches and a depth of four, 
in a straight line. In this drill sow 
the seed thinly. After covering with 
earth press the soil down firmly on 
the planted seed, after which place 
a mulch of litter over each row. This 
will prevent the ground below from 
drying unduly, and cracking, besides 
furnishing protection to the young 
plants as they push their way up. 
CHOOSING VARIETIES 
It is not always an easy matter to 
pick varieties as there are so many 
to choose from, each differing (per¬ 
haps in only a slight degree) and many 
seeming, to the amateur, to be nearly 
identical one with another. But there 
is some consolation in knowing that 
no one will have room for all varie¬ 
ties and that even the most intense 
enthusiast would not wish to attempt 
to grow them all, were it possible. 
White: Dorothy Eckford, Nora Unwin, 
White Spencer. 
Pink: Countess Spencer, Gladys Unwin, 
Bolton’s Pink. 
Primrose: James Greive, Primrose 
Spencer, Mrs. Collier. 
Rose: John Ingman, George Herbert, 
E. J. Castle. 
Scarlet-: Queen Alexandra, Marie Corelli, King Edward. 
Maroon: Black Knight, Othello, Duke of Westminster. 
Orange: Miss Wilmott, Helen Lewis, St. George. 
Light Blue; Flora Norton, Mrs. George Higginson, Jr., Romolo Piaz- 
zani. 
Dark Blue: Lord Nelson, Navy Blue, Captain of the Blues. 
Variegated Blue: Helen Pierce, Prince Olaf, Phenomenal. 
Lavender: Asta Ohn, Frank Dolby, Lady Grisel, Hamilton. 
The above may be recommended as furnishing varieties that 
will produce delightful results in any garden. 
The vines, which always require support, are the better for 
early attention in this matter. It is doubtful if anything sur¬ 
passes the old-fashioned method of brush support, but brush 
(Continued on page xvi) 
One of the Spencer types. Choose your varieties care¬ 
fully and keep the colors separated for the most 
satisfactory results 
