If you were born in April you are blessed with two birth flowers, daisies and fragrant sweet peas.
Daisies are everywhere, popping up along roadsides, in fields, and gardens, and they are popular for playing the classic “he loves me, he loves me not” game.
Sweet peas’ with their colourful petals cluster at the ends of long stems, fill the air with the delightful scent of spring.
This post shares some facts about sweet peas. If you haven't already seen my earlier post about the Daisy, you can read it here
Sweet peas enrich the land they grow in. They possess the unique ability to grab nitrogen from the air and infuse it into the soil in a form that plants can use.
Daisies are everywhere, popping up along roadsides, in fields, and gardens, and they are popular for playing the classic “he loves me, he loves me not” game.
Sweet peas’ with their colourful petals cluster at the ends of long stems, fill the air with the delightful scent of spring.
This post shares some facts about sweet peas. If you haven't already seen my earlier post about the Daisy, you can read it here
Don’t be misled by the name; sweet peas differ greatly from edible peas and should never be eaten. The seeds of this plant contain toxins, making it unsuitable for human or animal consumption.
Sweet peas are resilient once established, and just cutting down the plant won’t eliminate these flowers. You could wake one day to find a new shoot blooming in your garden as it spreads underground via rhizomes.
Keep your sweet peas far from fruit like apples, bananas, and tomatoes that produce ethylene when ripening. Sweet peas are sensitive to ethylene, which can cause their petals to wilt and delay flowering.
Sweet peas are powerfully scented; a bouquet of these can make your house smell divine. Their scent is like a honeysuckle, jasmine, and lilac mix with citrus, amber, or sandalwood notes.
Cold climates are no match for the tenacious sweet pea. This flower isn’t afraid of the cold and can thrive in temperatures of 23°F (-5°C) with proper care.
Sicily, Italy, is the original home of sweet peas, first identified in the 17th century. In Latin, they are called the fragrant pea, Lathyrus odoratus.
Henry Eckford, a horticulturist from Scotland, bred the modern sweet peas in the 19th century. His new creations were renowned for their robust fragrance, making them extremely popular.
Sweet peas, often used in weddings, are romantic flowers believed to symbolize youthful love. You can also give this flower to friends to appreciate their devotion.
With their long stems and climbing nature, sweet peas can grow incredibly tall in the right conditions, reaching 8 feet (2.4 meters).
April’s birth flowers may look nothing alike, but they share one common feature; their resilience. No matter where they are planted, daisies and sweet peas can adapt and flourish, just like April babies 😊
All the best Jan
37 comments:
I don't see sweet peas too often here, but they are so pretty and always strike me as an old fashioned flower - in a good way!
Es una linda flor. Te mando un beso.
Both my children are born in April -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
...sweet peas don't have a sexy name, but they are lovely!
Nice smelling flowers.
Very beautiful!
Sweet Peas are a favorite of mine. They grow wild here in Washington State, although the wild ones don't have the sweet fragrance of the cultivated ones. I didn't know that they were the flowers of April. My daughter was born in April and I always gave her daisies, but now I will add sweet peas, too! x K
Interesting Jan.
I love sweet peas but never see them in peoples gardens these days...what a pity.
I should sow the sweet pea in my garden, I think it's not too late and I would have a location... especially since bees and insects also like it.
Thank you... I'll go looking.
I wish you a happy day.
Hello Jan,
That's a nice post. And special to read about de birth flowers.
Now we learn something about traditions with the special kind of peas.
A wonderful picture and nice to see springtime is started yet.
Many greetings,
Marco
We grew sweet peas a few years ago and I discovered that I didn't like the scent at all. Maybe it was the particular strain, but it really put me off them. It's a shame, because they are so pretty, in so many beautiful tones.
Sweet peas have such a cool dilated soft touch with the tint of pink or purple
The sweet pea is a lovely plant, beautiful blooms.
Take care, have a great day!
Sweet peas really say spring, and they are really beautiful too.
Such pretty little flowers!
hugs
Donna
When I was a child my father used to plant sweet peas, as I liked to watch and smell them.
A very interesting post, I loved it 😊
Hugs and all the best
Maria
Happy Birthday to all the April Babies! One of my good friends has a birthday today!
Sweet peas are beautiful. It seems Spring has arrived in your part of the world. Enjoy the month of April Jan.
Very pretty and a nice photo. Have a nice day.
I love sweet peas. They are such beautiful and delicate flowers.
Hugs and greetings.
Wow. Great information on sweet peas. I didn't know half this information. Especially about enriching the soil. I'm going to have to get some. Thanks, Jan.
They are a most delightful flower. My dad used to grow them.
Jan, hen I was little there were peas in our garden, I remember that they had a good aroma and they were called "Peas" maybe they were brought to Argentina by Spanish immigrants because there, as you say, they call peas what around here are called peas.
Those are very pretty flowers.
I LOVE sweet peas, I haven't seen them for a long time! Hugs!
I don't remember either Daisies or Sweet Peas blooming in April here.
A lady in town has a quite a few sweet peas but I don't see them till summer.
I have a huge sweet peat bush (actually bushes but boy, do they fill in!) that blooms from June through much of summer. And you're right -- you can't kill those things. You can't pull them out -- their roots grow deep! I love them but when they're done it's a mess! Still, in bloom, they're wonderful and I love the bouquets I bring inside!
Hi, did Lady Spencer's Family breed a variety of sweet pea? I love sweet peas and plan to plant some this weekend.
Carla
this was so fun...i wish i had some in my garden, they do smell amazing. my aunt use to call me sweet pea!!
They are very pretty.
Sweet peas are so pretty and delicate! I read an Anne of Green Gables quote recently where she called Sweet Peas "Nature's butterfly flowers"
REPLY TO Carla from The River who said...
Hi, did Lady Spencer's Family breed a variety of sweet pea? I love sweet peas and plan to plant some this weekend.
Carla
Hello Carla
It was the Spencer's gardener who introduced a variety of sweet pea.
Henry Eckford, the horticulturist from Scotland, bred the modern sweet peas in the 19th century. His new creations were renowned for their robust fragrance, making them extremely popular.
After Eckford, the baton of sweet pea breeding was taken up by Silas Cole, a gardener working for the Spencer family (of Diana, Princess of Wales fame).
Cole grew and loved lots of Henry Eckford's varieties and, in 1900, was triumphant when one of his plants threw up a sort with even bigger flowers and a wavy petal edge. It was bright pink, huge and luscious; Cole named it 'Countess Spencer'. He exhibited the variety at the National Sweet Pea Society's first show, at the Royal Aquarium in 1901.
More to read here:-
https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/the-sweet-pea-story
I wish you happy planting this coming weekend.
All the best Jan
I so love sweet peas, they have such a distinct shape to them and are just pretty, we haven't had some in a couple years now, may have to search for them this year :)
Gorgeous flora photo ~ Sweet Peas!
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thank you for the information about the sweet peas. I love these flowers and always try to grow some of them each year.
Son flores preciosas, espero tenerlas pronto en mi jardín. Besos.
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