If you have a trellis in your garden and want something to grow up it then why not grow sweet peas? The lovely flowers and gorgeous scents of these brilliant flowers will look great on any trellis. Read on to find out my top tips and tricks for growing sweet peas on a trellis.
Can you Grow Sweet Peas up a Trellis?
Yes, sweet peas will love to grow up a trellis. You may need to tie them in at first to get them to use the trellis but before long they will be using their tendrils to cling to the trellis.
What is the Best Way to Trellis Sweet peas?
When growing sweet peas up a trellis you just need to remember to tie them in at first. You can use garden twine or twist ties to do this.
Just make sure you are gentle and do not fasten the ties too tight. If you do fasten the ties really tight you risk damaging the young sweet peas.
For additional support, you can even weave the sweet peas in and out of the trellis to really fix the plant to it.
Some growers, as you can see in the photo above, like to use a small cage at first to keep the young plants upright. Once they start growing out of the top of this you can then tie them into the trellis.
How Tall Should a Trellis be for Sweet Peas?
Sweet peas love to climb, your trellis should be at least 6ft tall but preferably more like 8ft. If you have a smaller trellis than this you can always grow a dwarf sweet pea, like this one from Thompson and Morgan.
How do you Make a Homemade Trellis?
You can easily make a trellis out of some bamboo canes and twine or string. Set two canes in the ground to form the sides of your trellis.
Then tie in a bamboo cane running horizontally across the top of the trellis, you should now have a frame. You can then run twine across this frame from side to side to form a trellis for your sweet peas to grow up.
Why not grow your sweet peas up an obelisk for an interesting feature in your garden.
Sweetpea FAQ’s
Are sweet peas perennial?
No sweet peas are an annual plant, they will not come back year after year.
Can you eat sweetpeas?
No, sweet peas are grown purely for their looks. Unlike many other legumes, they are actually toxic to humans if consumed.
Are sweet peas poisonous to pets?
Yes, as they are poisonous to humans they are also poisonous to pets, so make sure you keep an eye on your pets when they are hovering around sweet peas.
How high can sweet peas grow?
With the proper support, sweet peas can grow to 2m or even slightly above!
When do you grow sweet peas?
The traditional season for sweet peas is June and July but with the right care and attention, they can be both started earlier and grown later into the season. Regular deadheading of sweetpeas can massively prolong their flowering period.
How to germinate sweet peas?
I like to soak my sweet pea seeds in water for 24 hours before planting them in a seed tray. This soaking helps to break down the tough shell around the seed allowing them to germinate better.