Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Here in Australia where there is a very large group of people with Irish ancestry, along with many other countries, this day is a day to wear green, have a drink of Guinness or many, and say “Happy St Patrick’s Day!” to all and sundry.
Another thing it’s ‘traditional’ to do is plant your Sweet Pea seeds (Lathyrus odoratus)
This annual plant is very aptly named for it’s delicate sweet scent and pea-like seed pods.
Planting the seeds is an easy job, just prepare a sunny spot by removing any competing plants like weeds and make sure the soil is light, loose and fairly flat. Having a structure nearby for the plant to grow up is helpful too, otherwise they will trail across the ground and you’ll lose the colourful effect of the flowers.
Place the seeds in the soil down to the same depth as the width of the seed (in this case a few mm) then cover lightly with soil and water them in.
As the plant grows, carefully tie it up to the supporting structure or train it through any holes to support it off the ground.
After the flowers finish a pea-like pod will form which holds the seeds. You can either collect the seeds when the pod has turned brown so you can sow them again next St Patrick’s Day, or you can leave them to drop on the ground to reshoot in their own time.
When the whole plant has come to the end of it’s life it will gradually turn brown, at which point you can remove it.
These plants are well worth the effort, they have a lovely cottage garden feel and last well in a vase. Today isn’t the only day you can plant them, that would be extremely limiting, they can be planted right up til the middle of autumn, depending on where you live of course.
Til next time!
The Flowerpot Pen 