Gardeners' World: Monty on his 'delay' in planting sweet peas
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Monty Don returned to Gardeners’ World this week for the tenth episode of 2021 season. Tonight, Monty discussed how to add flowers to your garden to act as pollinators. He also described how to create an alpine trough with good drainage.
Gardening expert Adam Frost also helped comedian Susan Calman with her garden.
Gardener Nick Bailey also explained how to attract wildlife to your garden.
Monty, who has been lead presenter of Gardeners’ World since 2003, also shared why he was “worried” about planting his sweet peas.
He said: “Just tying up these sweet peas, I actually only planted them a few days ago and I held back from planting them not because I was worried about the cold but because it was so dry.
“We didn’t have any rain here at all for the whole of April.
“The one thing that sweet peas hate more than anything else is drought.
“Thankfully, we’ve had some rain, looks like we might get some more today too.
“So the sweet peas can go out, it’s warm enough, it’s wet enough and I keep tying them up once a week for the first four weeks or so just to keep them up right.
DON’T MISS
How to get rid of ants – natural methods to remove ants [INSIGHT]
Gardeners’ World warning: Some composts contribute to climate change [UPDATE]
Gardening: David Domoney shares best conditions to remove weeds [ANALYSIS]
“By then, the tendrils will cling to whatever support you give them and then they can be left.
“And of course, by about the middle of June, with any luck, we should start picking the flowers.”
You can sow sweet pea seeds from March through to May and plant the flowers from April to June.
The plants will then flower from June through to around October depending on when you planted them.
They will need cutting back in October and November time.
Sweet peas are fragrant and come in a plethora of colours.
If you can’t grow them directly in the ground, they can be put in pots and trained to create a stunning display.
They need to be put in an open, sunny position in well-drained but moisture-retentive soil.
If you do plan to pop them in a pot, make sure you use peat-free compost with a slow-release fertiliser mixed in.
According to the Gardeners’ World website, young sweet peas are prone to slug and snail damage.
You can use beer traps and biological methods to try and deter them.
Gardeners’ World airs Fridays at 9pm on BBC Two
Source: Read Full Article