Sweet peas are opened by Francisco Kupani, whowas a monk, and also an amateur botanist and resided in Sicily. Thanks to the beautiful smell that this plant produces, the monk found it and named it Lathyrus odoratus. After falling into the end of the seventeenth century in England, the sweet pea becomes one of the most beloved plants of the English, to which even the rose and daffodil have given way.
After spreading across Europe, many startedto engage in the selection of this plant, one of the most famous breeders is the Englishman Henry Ekford. It was thanks to Eckford that new varieties of this plant appeared, and for many years it became the visiting card of England. At that time sweet peas counted 264 known cultivars and Ekford brought out 115 of them.
Selection work with this plant in Russiabegan quite late, it was only in 1938 that the Gribovskaya experimental station was engaged in this. Currently, scientists are working on creating varieties that have an even brighter and stronger smell, as well as over breeding varieties with unusual shapes and colors. The truth is not always possible to get the best combination of these two qualities. In modern varieties, the flower of sweet peas looks like an orchid and there are flowers of any shade. Created unique in beauty varieties, for example, dazzling white flowers, which are covered with small and frequent strokes of a certain tone.
Sweet peas - a flower that loves very muchthe sun and therefore it must be planted in well-lit areas, which will be protected from the wind. In the presence of a sharp temperature drop, the buds and flowers may fall off. To achieve a harmonious and lush flowering, it is necessary to carry out periodic top dressing of the plant, this can be done using humus several times during the summer. Also sweet peas like moderate watering, it does not tolerate both waterlogging and drying up of the soil.
Growing seedlings
To obtain seedlings, it is necessary to sow inearly March in special trays that need to be installed on the windowsill. If you live in a region with a warm climate, you can carry out sowing directly into the ground, usually in April. Young shoots can transfer short-term frosts to -5 ° С practically painlessly.
When growing seedlings on the windowsill in the openthe soil is planted after the onset of stable heat, that is, in May. Between the plants should be about 25 cm. It is not recommended to plant sweet peas on one place every year. It is necessary to constantly change the place of its cultivation and it is necessary to plant the previous place not earlier than in four years.
The selection of this plant is carried out constantly, andnow several thousand varieties are known. There are both high grades that reach a height of up to 2 meters, and dwarfish, whose height does not exceed 30 centimeters. Also, varieties are distinguished by the number of stems, there are multi-stems, which can have up to 10 stems, and small stems, which have 1-2 stems. By the terms of flowering distinguish late, middle and early varieties of sweet pea.
Sweet peas fully justify theirname and has a unique pleasant aroma, so you should try to plant it near the windows, terraces to have a constant opportunity to enjoy its aroma.
If for tall varietiesit is necessary to use special stands, then low-growing varieties are quite capable of growing without any supports, so they can decorate flower beds, and also look great in curbs and mixborders.
Although there are perennial varieties of fragrantpeas, but most gardeners still prefer one-year varieties. It should also be remembered that the fruits of this plant, which have the appearance of peas and are quite attractive for appearance, are poisonous and unsuitable for eating.
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