I was so excited when my sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus 'Perfume Delight') began to bloom last week. Instead of planting sugar snap peas along the trellis in the vegetable garden last October, I elected to plant sweet peas. The seeds germinated without a problem. I thinned them and watched as the vines grew longer and longer. And I waited and waited for buds to appear. Then I waited some more for the buds to open. Last night, I decided that there were finally enough to make a small bouquet.
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So far, all those that have bloomed are lavender, cream or cream with a tinge of lavender on the edges. I paired them with pale yellow snapdragons (Antirrhinium majus, Rocket variety), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' (also known as Sweet-pea Shrub), and a few tiny stems of Abelia x grandiflora. A back view of the vase shows the Polygala to better advantage.
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I left the bouquet in the kitchen and they perfumed half the house within 30 minutes. The 'Perfume Delight' variety of sweet peas I chose is reputed to be especially heat-tolerant as well as intensely fragrant, which is good in that our temperatures are forecast to soar towards 90F (32C) this week. Renee's Garden, which I think was the source of my seeds, says that their mix produces flowers in rose, pale pink, deep purple, white and bi-color. Maybe other colors will appear as the bloom period continues.
This bouquet is my contribution to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden. You can see Cathy's floral creation, also scented, and find links to other gardeners' contributions here.
So far, all those that have bloomed are lavender, cream or cream with a tinge of lavender on the edges. I paired them with pale yellow snapdragons (Antirrhinium majus, Rocket variety), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' (also known as Sweet-pea Shrub), and a few tiny stems of Abelia x grandiflora. A back view of the vase shows the Polygala to better advantage.
I left the bouquet in the kitchen and they perfumed half the house within 30 minutes. The 'Perfume Delight' variety of sweet peas I chose is reputed to be especially heat-tolerant as well as intensely fragrant, which is good in that our temperatures are forecast to soar towards 90F (32C) this week. Renee's Garden, which I think was the source of my seeds, says that their mix produces flowers in rose, pale pink, deep purple, white and bi-color. Maybe other colors will appear as the bloom period continues.
This bouquet is my contribution to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden. You can see Cathy's floral creation, also scented, and find links to other gardeners' contributions here.