On 2009-08-28 19:30:38 +0100, "Robert \(Plymouth\)"
said:



"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-08-28 17:27:11 +0100, soup said:

We have a 'wall' of sweet pea plants that have had a GLORIOUS display
of coloured flowers, still displaying but a bit past their best. Have
had a lot of hover flies around them and there has been a lot of
pollinating going on. Now we are being presented by mange tout things
but they are 'furry'. I take it these are the seed pods of the sweet
peas should these be taken of and dried or left in situ or ...? Any
sweet peas we are likely to plant next year will be grown from
plugs/bought seeds so do we actually want these pods for anything?

Unless they're species sweet peas (like Lathyrus matucana) they're
unlikely to come true from seed. You could keep a few ripe pods for
fun and interest but otherwise, there's no reason to do so. But if you
want to keep the flowers coming, cut off the seed pods straight away.
We grow Lathyrus matucana which I am particularly fond of, so I'm going
to keep some seed from those and see what happens.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Hello Sacha, hope you are well. I always understood that sweet peas
came true from seed because of the way they were pollinated. Is that
not correct then?

Robert
www.rraa.moonfruit.com


I may be wrong but AIUI they don't do their best or produce good forms
from collected seed and may have hybridised. I'm most willing to be
corrected but that's what I learned some long years ago. I've only
tried once from saved seed and got some very puny flowers of wishywashy
colouring. Certainly we buy our seeds in every year and start off with
new plants, except for me messing about with the species.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon