Now that June is here, sweet peas are starting to shine. Their delicate blooms are emerging with a sweet fragrance, perfect for cutting and displaying in a vase. To get the most out of your plants this summer, you can do a handful of things in June to prolong your sweet peas' display.
Growing sweet peas can be a game of patience, but once the warmer temperatures of early summer arrive, these cottage garden staples take off. Once the blooms start appearing, it's time to get cutting to encourage more flowers, you should also tie in new growth, and keep on top of watering, especially during hot spells.
Failing to do any of these things can result in a shorter flowering display and your sweet peas may die off early. So, to help you out, I've asked a gardening pro what to do with sweet peas in June. Here, they share five tasks to prioritize now.
1. Pick Flowers Regularly
The best thing you can do once your sweet peas start blooming is keep picking them as cut flowers.
Frequent harvesting encourages the plant to keep producing blooms instead of setting seed, extending displays for multiple months through summer.
You can pick sweet peas with gardening snips (these Fiskars ones on Amazon are a good choice). Cut the stems above a node to ensure new growth, with each stem having at least three open blooms.
It's best to cut them early in the morning and to place them in water immediately to reduce moisture loss.
Picking them at least every other day will help maximize your harvest, with new blooms emerging quickly.
2. Deadhead Sweet Peas
As well as harvesting sweet peas as cut flowers, you should also deadhead sweet peas this month to encourage further flowering.
'For abundant, long-lasting blooms, regularly remove faded flower clusters. This prevents seed pods from forming and draining the plant’s energy,' says Halina Shamshur, gardening expert from Plantum.
You should cut the flower stem back to the main vine to encourage more growth.
'If you want to harvest sweet pea seeds, leave some flowers on the plant so the seeds can develop and mature,' Halina adds.
You should allow the pods to turn brown before removing them to collect the seeds.
3. Tie In New Growth
Once they start growing, sweet peas can grow extremely fast. As climbers, it's important to provide a support for them and to tie in new growth as it emerges.
'Sweet pea is a climbing plant that absolutely requires a support structure, trellis, or netting. Otherwise, the stems will flop over, become tangled, and lose their ornamental appeal,' Halina describes.
This metal obelisk from Wayfair is a beautiful plant support and will look enchanting with sweet peas spilling over it.
'Don’t let the shoots collapse, as the plant can quickly become susceptible to disease, begin to rot, and produce fewer flowers,' Halina adds.
You can use the best plant ties for climbing plants when attaching new growth to your chosen support. This includes jute garden twine (from Lowe's) and garden soft ties (like this from Amazon).
This will stop plants flopping over and becoming tangled, and it also improves air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases like powdery mildew.
4. Water Sweet Peas Deeply
Sweet peas are thirsty plants and without consistent moisture levels they wilt, drop flower buds, and can stop flowering altogether.
'Pay special attention to watering in June. Sweet pea develops a deep root system, so it needs thorough watering, especially during hot weather,' Halina says.
'Water deeply but not too often, about once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions. Don’t let the soil dry out completely,' she adds.
You can use a soil moisture meter (like this from Amazon) to keep track of moisture levels for your sweet peas. You want to ensure they have sufficient moisture but aren't sitting in overly wet conditions which can cause root rot.
'To protect the roots from overheating, mulch around the base of the plant with grass clippings or straw,' Halina adds.
This can regulate soil temperature and moisture, keeping sweet peas hydrated and cool during hot, sunny days.
You can even use this bark chip from Lowe's as mulch.
5. Feed Sweet Peas Weekly
During their active growth season, sweet peas are using a lot of energy to bloom prolifically. That's why it's key to support them with a boost of essential plant nutrients by fertilizing sweet peas.
'To support abundant flowering throughout the growing season, sweet peas will need regular feeding in June,' Halina says.
'Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen, as this will encourage vigorous leafy growth at the expense of flower buds,' she adds.
You can use a high potash fertilizer (like this from Amazon) which will encourage flower development, or use a bloom booster feed (like this from Lowe's).
What to Shop
These gardening snips are perfect for harvesting sweet pea stems. They have stainless steel blades for clean cuts.
These sweet pea seeds are a beautiful mix of pink and purples with a classic sweet fragrance.
This liquid flower food is a special blend for bigger blooms. It has a 0-10-10 NPK ratio.
You can turn your sweet peas into a spectacle by making a sweet pea wigwam. Just make sure to keep pinching out sweet peas to encourage branching and fuller growth.
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