Perennial Sweet Pea hasn't come back?

[maddieom]

Hello!
I am a very novice gardener but moved into a house at the beginning of 2015 and found that the previous owner had been a very keen gardener. One of the lovely things last year was a perennial sweet pea (my neighbour told me it was perennial). I became very ill at the end of the summer last year and was unable to do anything in the garden and didn't cut back the sweet pea (or in fact anything in the garden). Now the garden is full of lots of different flowers but I can't see any sign of the sweet pea apart from some old dry or woody bits that are behind a honeysuckle (which is where the sweet pea thrived last year).

Have I done something wrong? Will it come back eventually or do I need to do something. I really don't know much about gardening I'm afraid!

Many thanks

[roitelet]

Welcome to the vine Maddieom. If I remember rightly perennial sweet peas send up new shoots from the bottom each year. Have a good look right at the base of the plant and you may find some life. Cut off all the dead branches as they wont send out any new shoots. Perennial sweet peas are very tough and it is unusual for them to die. You could also keep a look out for any self sown seedlings which could replace it if it really has gone to a better place.

Best of luck.

[mothhawk]

Hi, maddie, and welcome to the vine. Perennial sweet peas are generally very hardy plants and don't give up the ghost and die easily and can actually be quite thuggish. it won't be flowering yet, not till probably July time (depending how far north/south you are located).

You say you are very much a novice gardener, so would you recognise sweet pea leaves, or only the flowers? It may be growing among the honeysuckle and you haven't spotted it yet.

It could be that the honeysuckle has choked out the pea, but IMO it's not likely. Give it a few more weeks. If it's gone there's nothing you can do, and if it's still there, you probably don't need to do anything.

[lottie dolly]

Hello and welcome to the vine,the dead dry old woody bits are most likely the old stems of said pea plant,keep an eye out in that spot,and any day now you will see fresh new shoots coming out the ground,that is,if you still have a live root under ground,so no hoeing near it until you are sure,

[maddieom]

It's arrived!

Thanks everyone! Well I just left it because I couldn't see much as it starts behind a bush and next to a big honeysuckle so I couldn't see much but I went out today after being on holiday and suddenly it is there - not flowering but looking very healthy! There is also another one that has popped up along another bit of fencing.

Is this quite late for a sweetpea to arrive? and do you think it will flower? It was definitely flowering a lot earlier last year. Thanks!

[lottie dolly]

HI am pleased they popped through for you,i bet they will flower in a bit,mine have not long started flowering,also if yours are a bit in the shade may not help,this has been a very testing/trying year for many plants,am sure they WILL flower for you

[happyhumph]

Hi & welcome (a bit late - sorry!) to the vine. I've noticed perennial sweet peas have been a bit later this year, probably because of the weird weather, so don't worry & enjoy it when it does flower.