Nothing says "spring" like a dainty bouquet of fragrant ruffled sweet peas. There are so many colors to choose from like elegant whites, soft pastels, and even vibrant reds to purples. You might just have to grow several varieties.
Many types of sweet peas are the old-fashion kind, which need a fence or some type of support to encourage them upward. There are some new types of "bush" sweet peas which don't require any support and are equally attractive planted as a border in your garden, or in a circle around the base of a birdbath. There are also new "container" sweet pea varieties available for another very different effect. Place them on an outdoor table or on your patio for a splash of color.
If you are planting sweet peas which need a support to climb, why not get a little creative with your support fencing. Try a "garden circle of sweet peas" in your garden. Plant your sweet peas in some form like a circle, maze, square, or in parallel rows before an arbor. In other words, try some non-traditional form plantings. In the above photo, I used a perfect circle of wire reinforced with chicken wire and open at the bottom, from a load of river rock I bought last summer.
Renee Shepard of, Renee's Garden seeds, has a true love for sweet peas, and might just be responsible for a "modern day one-woman renaissance of sweet peas." She offers over 20 different delightful sweet pea seed varieties, and several articles on ensuring "sweet peas success" in your garden, Renee's Garden Sweet Pea Seeds and information.
If you love sweet peas, and can't get enough of them in your own garden, it is worth a visit to Summers Past Farms Sweet Pea Day, east of San Diego, for a life-size sweet pea maze at their annual "Sweet Pea Day" each April. Proprietors Marshall and Sheryl Lozier, encourage you to pack a picnic and bring the kids, or make it a special "garden gal" day with friends. Mark your calendar.
Welcome "spring into your garden" with romantic sweet peas, in your favorite colors, and grown in your favorite way. Please share if you grow sweet peas every year. Please comment on how you grow, and like to use your sweet peas.