Friday, November 5, 2010

Weekword Abundance ~ Sweet Peas


When I think of the word abundance Sweet Peas, Lathyrus odoratus come to mind, for their abundance of fragrance, bloom, visual beauty, and...


... it just so happens that this is the time to plant Sweet Peas in Southern California. Sweet Peas do not like hot weather, so here they are considered a cool season annual. The earlier they are planted the earlier the bloom and it is often said that by planting them now you will have blooms by Christmas. I am not usually so organized and don't get them planted quite this early, but this year the potager is cleaned up, ready for planting...and along with the winter vegetables, this is where my Sweet Peas go!



There are so many seeds to pick from but I chose early blooming, heavily scented, old fashion varieties. I can hardly wait to bring the first bouquet into the house ~ heavenly.



And as long as we are talking about Sweet Peas, some of you might remember this beautiful Sweet Pea pattern by Laura Ashley. I kept all of her catalogues and like with my old copies of Victoria (and the new) I go through them periodically for inspiration. This Climbing Sweet Pea wallpaper was always one of my favorites - so charming. Alas, this pattern is no longer available but the idea could be duplicated using another vertical patterned paper.




So, add a little abundance in your life and when the time is right in your garden...plant some Sweet Peas!


To see the other Weekword posts please go and visit Chris at:  http://silverlinings4me.blogspot.com/ this post was also linked to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/


28 comments:

  1. Sweet peas are one of my favorite flowers. I will have to plant them soon. I always wait to long!

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  2. I've been known to steal sweetpeas from my daughter's school during the summer. I need to plant some of my own.

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  3. I love sweet peas as well, and mine come back year after year. I also collected some of the seeds and will put them in containers. They're just so beautiful!

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  4. I LOVE sweet peas, but those poor little things would sizzle here. Can't wait to see yours though.

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  5. Sweet peas don't do so well here in the south but I have to wonder about your old fashioned varieties...they might do better. Something I need to try OR I can just enjoy yours!

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  6. I love sweet peas and had a bumper crop this year...good luck with yours...they make such a sweet bouquet and you need to pick them in order to encourage more blooms!

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  7. I love them, and I wish I were in the time of planting them, instead of preparing for the coming snows of winter!

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  8. Dear Adrienne, I feel so inspired by this post, how lovely!!!! Your Sweet Pea arrangement is adorable!!! I too love sweet peas and mine will soon bloom, I have some few ones and they do lovely in my garden. I so would like that here in Chile we would have varieties of sweet peas, but I can only find one and you, over there, can choose among many, including old fashioned one, how lucky!!!!
    Enjoy your sowing and sing to them while planting!!!!!
    muchos cariños

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  9. I adore sweet peas, and I love the packets yours come in - I'd be so tempted to frame those!

    Isn't it funny, I'm just about to clear away the remains of this year's sweet peas after a wonderful summer. I picked my last bunch two weeks ago, and since then the frosts have set in.

    If you're interested, here's a post about my last big sweetpea haul: http://sowandsew.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/the-end-of-summer/

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  10. I love sweet peas, there colors and sweet perfume.I used to wear a Nina Ricci's perfume called"Fleur de fleur" it was a sweet pea perfume, but unfortunately does not exist anymore.I loved Laura Ashley's wallpaper, i have some material left.Hugs Catherine

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  11. I love sweet peas - such a delicate scent. My previous neighbor had them as her wedding bouquet :)

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  12. Hi Adrienne,
    Your posts are always so inspiring and this one is no exception! Sweet peas are such a pretty little flower and I love the wallpaper picture.
    I hope you have a wonderful weekend in So Cal.:o)
    Fondly,
    Ann
    @
    The Tattered Tassel

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  13. I love sweet peas, just found your blog and will now follow.Thanks for sharing. You have some great pics.

    erica-sweetonyou.blogspot.com

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  14. I wonder if we have sweet peas here in Minnesota? I shall have to look for them next summer. They are so pretty and old-fashioned looking. Have a nice weekend :)

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  15. sweet peas ~ heavenly scent, luscious colors, delicate petals ~ I'm so glad you posted this gardening reminder... is zone 16 (Central Coast) supposed to plant sweet pea seeds now?

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  16. They are lovely flowers! The bees love them too. I hope you plant several :)

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  17. your sweet peas are lovely! i couldn't pssobly grow them here in southeast virginia...

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  18. I love sweetpeas, but being in the UK they're very much a summer flower for me - I'm very envious that you get to enjoy them in the winter!

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  19. Oh my goodness I love sweet pea, I can almost just smell them right now! I'm still learning quite a bit about gardening and especially about times to grow different plants, so I enjoy the information and look forward to going home and picking up some sweet pea seeds of my own!

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  20. I love the wee curly stems, lovely photos..

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  21. Oooohhhhh! I LOVE sweet peas! My grandfather used to grow a bunch of them and my grandmother used to cut them. I love their smell! Last year I grew a long stretch of them and cut them...Thanks for reminding me I need to get mine planted!

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  22. I love sweet peas! Those are gorgeous, and yes, I remember that pattern well. I have one called Morning Glories. I loved her papers so much. We had a leak that had to be fixed which is necessitating me having to take mine down. I wish they still made it!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  23. I love sweet peas. They are the essence of cottage charm! How wonderful that you will have their intoxicating fragrance perfuming your home in the near future.

    Blessings,
    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com

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  24. I adore Sweet Peas. Can I get them to grow properly in my garden? Nooooo. Maybe I should try a container in our sunroom and see what happens.

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  25. All I can say is... I love sweet peas!

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  26. Those were gorgeous photo's. Happy Outdoor Wednesday.

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  27. I love to grow Sweet Peas too! They grow perfectly well at my house until it starts to warm up...I'm in Southern California too!

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