Can Sweet Peas 'trail'?

[basketcase]

My daughter has planted some Sweet Pea seeds in her window box.

I said they'd probably need something to support them, but she replied "but I'm going to let them grow downwards". Will they survive?!

BTW what she doesn't have in technical knowledge she makes up for in enthusiasm. Her next question was "How long before I can see anything green?" Yes, another "can I dig it up to see if it's growing yet"? type!

[Bigmallly]

Well, there's only one way to find out. Let her have a go & see what happens. Sweet peas tend to have quite thick strong branches so would imagine they would be fine, but that's only a guess.....tell her good luck, she obviously enjoys it.

[OllieMartin]

Is there any reasons she's not planning on supporting them? Is she just a renegade window-gardener?

[pipkins]

As BigMally said she can have a go, but she would be better off getting some seed which has been specially developed for hanging baskets and containers such as "Sugar & Spice"

Sweet Pea Sugar n Spice (Plants and Bulbs)

You can buy plugs or seed

[weekendwellies]

Plants want to grow..... up/down/sideways..... it makes no difference mostly

[Pumpkin Becki]

People who grow sweet peas for the showbench, use a technique called layering. They grow the shoot up a cane as normal, then when it gets to the top, they untie the plant, lay it along the ground, put another cane in the ground at this point, and let it grow up that one. This gives longer plants that are still supported and will give more flowers...so in answer to your question...I dunno, but I know they will grow horizontally!!

[basketcase]

Thanks for the responses, everybody!

She's replanting the window box I bought her in August. It has a pot of mint at one end a lavender at the other left over from last year (ie they didn't die!) and she's sown as few chives and spring onions too.

I think she added the sweet peas and a few sunflowers for colour. She planted 16 but reckons that they won't all grow. (Doesn't she remember my courgettes?! ). When asked about the variety of sweet pea, the reply was "Eeeeerrrr... Marks & Spencer!" though she says they're definitely scented.

Ollie - she's not a renegade gardener, she's worse. She's a student! Her main reason for not wanting supports is that the plants would block out the light. Why sunflowers then? Don't ask me. "They're not the Blue Peter Competition type, mum".

My main concern is that she's on the first floor, near a corner and in Glasgow, so the wind might wreck them. But we'll see. I think I'll grow a few extra, just in case...

Thanks again, people.

[basketcase]

People who grow sweet peas for the showbench, use a technique called layering. They grow the shoot up a cane as normal, then when it gets to the top, they untie the plant, lay it along the ground, put another cane in the ground at this point, and let it grow up that one. This gives longer plants that are still supported and will give more flowers...so in answer to your question...I dunno, but I know they will grow horizontally!!

Interesting. She'd need a veerrry big windowledge, though!

I did suggest building some sort of arch across the window box, but she's taken with the trailing idea. It might work...

[Bigmallly]

She'll have to watch they don't climb up the sunflowers.........

[Photo]

They will trail, but not by much (I did this last year as an experiment), you have to be active with them though and prune out the tendrills almot daily..else they will wrap against other trailing stems and start climbing again. Stems that are not attached to anything will have a definite upturn towards their end as they reach out and up for the sky.

But I wont bother with it again...I'll continue growing them up something..more flowers..more sent..more summer.

-Photo-

[ginger ninger]

I grew "Sugar & Spice" last year, I have seed of them if you'd like to try some, I planted mine this morning after an overnight soak, the trouble with the normal sweet pea is it will grow upwards regardless of what you do to it, they grow to the light.

[greencat]

wild but fun

One year I had a lot going on so the sweet peas just grew tumberling over the grass.Looked a bit wild but the flowered fine. Sounds like shes having fun anyway.

[basketcase]

She'll have to watch they don't climb up the sunflowers.........

Exactly, BM!

[basketcase]

They will trail, but not by much (I did this last year as an experiment), you have to be active with them though and prune out the tendrills almot daily..else they will wrap against other trailing stems and start climbing again. Stems that are not attached to anything will have a definite upturn towards their end as they reach out and up for the sky.

But I wont bother with it again...I'll continue growing them up something..more flowers..more sent..more summer.

-Photo-

Thanks, Photo. Not sure that she's the 'pruning daily' type, but will pass the message on.

[basketcase]

I grew "Sugar & Spice" last year, I have seed of them if you'd like to try some, I planted mine this morning after an overnight soak, the trouble with the normal sweet pea is it will grow upwards regardless of what you do to it, they grow to the light.

Thanks Ginge! And yes please. If you send me a PM with your address, I'll send an SAE. What kind of Sweet Peas are you growing? I've got some I got from a kind grape and some I got free in a magazine. Apart from 'White' and 'mixed' I have no further information. Can't think where my daughter gets it from...