Selwyn Times: July 25, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday July 25 2017 31
Gardening
Flowers that are as sweet as can be
Rachel Vogan sings the
praises of sweet peas
– tough little bloomers
that can light up the
garden year-round
WHENEVER I’M asked what
my favorite flower is, I struggle to
answer as I have so many.
It’s like asking which is your
favourite child – how do you
choose? My top picks always
include dahlias, gladioli, daphne,
and daisies; I am never without
roses or hellebores no matter
where I live, and every year
without fail I grow sweet peas
anywhere I can find room to
squeeze them in.
I’m not sure where my devotion
to them came from – my uncle
Teddy used to grow them in
French Farm in the 1970s, so
it may have been from there,
although I have always loved any
flower I can pick for a posy, and
have a special affection for any
bloom that will give someone joy
when they’re presented with it.
New Zealand has a strong
history with sweet peas, both
in terms of seed production
for English and European seed
catalogues and sweet pea breeding.
Dr Keith Hammett is the
godfather of sweet pea breeding;
he has a passion for these blooms
that just captivates you.
Keith’s interest in the sweet pea
started off as a teenager, when
his uncle decided he wanted to
separate his flower and vegetable
garden, doing so by planting a
PACKED WITH PERFUME: High Scent (left) is tremendous variety to plant. Sweet pea Bix (middle)
and Pink Nines for the show bench.
dividing row of sweet peas. To
hear Keith recall it, it was love
at first sight. This love has only
continued throughout the years,
as sweet pea varieties bearing the
Hammett name are now sold all
over New Zealand and around the
world.
I first met him about 20 years
ago, and was struck by his
contagious keenness for both
breeding plants and creating
cultivars that fitted the local
New Zealand climate. I couldn’t
quite keep up with all the
different characteristics he was
producing and aiming for, but was
mesmerised and wanted to soak
up what I could, knowing that I
could stand to learn a lot from
him. So I sat and listened, barely
saying a word!
Fast forward a few decades
and every year I plant out dozens
of his varieties. My go-to is his
High Scent as it has got the
most magnificent fragrance, and
beautiful flowers with an antique
cream base and delicate violet
edging on each petal. One of its
best features is probably its prolific
blooming capacity, as once it starts
flowering in November I can be
picking it continuously until the
end of March, as long as I pick off
any spent flower seed pods along
the way, and make sure to fertilise
and water them regularly. Like me,
they love their tucker!
For the show bench I always
plant Piggy Sue (not to be
confused with Peggy Sue), named
after a pig rescued from farrowing
stalls. Its colouring is a pink flush
against a cream ground, with
young flowers that often resemble
a pink picotee when they first
open. Last year I planted Pink
Nines for the first time, which has
masses of flowers on each stem –
up to nine on each. Paradox has
an intense, rich, violet-blue flower
but has lost its ability to climb,
so is one you would plant as a
ground cover or for use in hanging
baskets.
Keith says all the sweet peas
he offers are great for picking,
reminding me that “Sweet peas are
the ultimate ‘cut and come again’
flower”, meaning that the more
you pick from the flower stems,
the more they will produce.
He goes on to mention: “The
ones with the larger, frilly flowers
have longer stems than, say, some
of the smaller flowered forms
with the strongest scent.” His
most highly-scented varieties are
Original, High Scent, More Scent,
and High Society.
WHEN, WHERE & HOW
• Plenty of sun needs to be
on the menu – while sweet peas
will bloom in half-day sun, the
results are always best when they
are planted somewhere that gets
rays all day.
• Sow seeds now or look
for seedlings, as they are in
the shops throughout August,
September and into October.
• Seeds can be sown directly
where they are to flower
provided the soil is well drained,
in a sunny position, and you
are able to protect against slugs,
snails and maybe birds.
• If sown into pots for
planting out later, seeds do not
need to be grown inside or in
the glasshouse, simply sow and
place outside in full light.
• Provide support – sweet
peas are a tumbling vine and
need something to cling to when
climbing. This support can be
as simple as bamboo canes,
wigwams, or old bike wheels,
while netting against a fence or
wall is a popular choice.
gardening without guesswork
Question:
Answer:
Hi I have a lemon tree and was wondering what are good
companion plants for them?
Companion planting for lemons isn’t something that gets asked
about very often, so there isn’t a set answer exactly. Here is some
information that would be of use if you are wanting to plant something
around your lemons.
Lemons are shallow rooting, need good drainage in winter, a cool root
zone with plenty of water in the summer, and an acid soil ph. This
means that they do not like their roots cultivated to plant any annual
type plants. Therefore more permanent plants around and underneath
the lemon would be OK. Ground cover plants would be suitable (this
could include perennial herbs like mint, rosemary or thyme). These
would help to keep the root zone cool in summer. As far as we are
aware, there are not any plants that would give lemons protection from
pest and diseases that are considered companion plants. That is to
say that they not exist only that we wouldn’t be able to suggest any. A
garden centre expert may be able to help more with this is you need.
We hope this helps.
for more information, check out our website: www.intelligro.co.nz
or visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz
Thanks to sach for her question.
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Want a lemon tree but
don’t have a garden?
Meyer lemon trees grow excellently in pots.
If you are restricted to only having pots and
containers, then this variety is for you. Make
sure you plant them in our Patio Plus potting
mix, and ask us about what fertiliser to use.
There are different fertilisers for trees and plants
in pots and for those that are in garden beds!
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