18 
House & Garden 
FALL SOWN SWEET PEAS for NEXT YEAR’S BLOOM 
Autumn Planting Means Sturdier Plants, Finer Flowers, and 
An Earlier and Longer Blossoming Period Next Season 
GEORGE W. KERR 
President of the American Sweet Pea Society 
, 4«*jC i'A'-M'i" 
T HERE is no question as to the superior 
results to be obtained by sowing sweet 
peas in the fall, when compared with spring 
sowing. Briefly, the advantages are a much 
earlier flowering season, better flowers and a 
decidedly longer blooming period. Besides all 
this, the plants are much sturdier than spring 
sown plants and are better able to withstand 
the heat and drought of early summer. 
When we delay sowing until the spring it 
often happens that continued rains follow the 
breaking up of the winter frosts, so that the sea¬ 
son is well advanced before the ground is in a 
suitable condition to allow of its being prepared. 
Although sowings made early in May or even 
late April will germinate quickly, and for some 
weeks the plants will have all the appearance 
of doing splendidly, yet along comes a spell of 
hot weather, and, due to in¬ 
sufficient root growth, the 
plants are immediately 
checked. They may struggle 
along for some weeks until an 
attack of aphis finishes them, 
often before they have pro¬ 
duced a single flower. 
By using early or winter 
flowering varieties, or as they 
are sometimes called, early- 
flowering long season vari¬ 
eties, of which Yarrawa is a 
notable example, growers in 
the south, and in fact all sub¬ 
tropical or frostless sections, 
have flowers from Christmas 
until June from sowings 
made in late September or 
early October. Care must be 
taken, however, that you pro¬ 
cure the true winter or early 
flowering sorts, and I advise 
America Spencer is white 
striped with crimson-red, a 
superbly showy sort 
using the new Spencer type only. The flowers 
of these are quite as large and as beautifully 
waved or frilled as the regular summer flower¬ 
ing Spencers; and on account of their precocity, 
they begin to bloom in the above sections two 
months or more earlier than the regular type 
would do even though sown at the same time. 
New Early Flowering Spencers 
There are now a number of the new early 
flowering Spencers in cultivation, and in the 
course of two years more practically all the 
colors now found in the summer flowering sorts 
will be circulated by sweet pea specialists who 
have been cross-breeding the various types. 
One of the best of the winter flowering sweet 
peas is, as I have said, the majestic Yarrawa, a 
variety which was raised in Australia. The 
flowers of this wonderful novelty are of great 
size and substance, while the color is extremely 
pleasing, being an attractive shade of rich rose 
pink overlying a cream ground, with wings 
blush pink on cream. 
There is another similar in color to the old 
Blanche Ferry, the one-time popular pink and 
white, and named Fordhook Pink and White. 
Next comes Rose Queen, a beautiful light rose- 
pink. There are also pure whites, rose and 
lavender-pinks now offered by practically all 
sweet pea specialists, and no one who grows 
flowers in the South should fail to try at least a 
few of them. 
The most select varieties of this new early 
long-season type are: 
Fordhook Pink aiid White: similar in color 
to the old Blanche Ferry, but with beautifully 
waved flowers. 
Early Enchantress: rich 
rose-pink. 
Early Loveliness: white 
heavily suffused with pink. 
Early King: a glowing 
bright crimson. 
Early Primrose Beauty: 
deep primrose flushed with 
rose. 
Early Sankey: an immense 
pure white. 
Early Pink Beauty: soft 
rose-pink on white. 
Early Rosy Morn: rich rose 
with crimson standard. 
Fordhook Rose: a charm¬ 
ing shade of deep rose. 
Yarrawa: rose - pink on 
cream ground. 
On account of their flor- 
iferous habit and long season 
of blooming, these are the one 
Orchid is another really de¬ 
sirable Spencer. It is a fine 
lavender self 
Well prepared beds and fall sown seeds make for high 
quality bloom the following season. Well enriched soil 
containing lime is essential to the best results, whether 
with autumn or spring sown seeds. The new early 
flowering Spencers arc best for southern sections and 
the regular Spencers for the north 
