The Luxury of Sweet Peas - and the Perfect Vase

This dismal spring has finally produced a gratifying abundance of sweet peas - and it's about time. We waited at least 2-3 weeks longer for sweet peas to flower, but turns out they liked that long, cool spring. I can't cut them fast enough, and have vases of them in every room of the house, so the whole place smells like I'm piping sweet pea fragrance in through the heat vents.

In the months between August and June when we're sweet pea deprived, I can never really remember how intoxicatingly heavenly a big bunch of freshly picked sweet peas look and smell - they're a luxury no money could ever buy - you really have to grow them yourself. 

And then find just the right vase for them - look at this glossy, ethereally pale cylinder of a vase made by Whidbey Island ceramist Inge Roberts (see more of her work at Museo Gallery's website). I love all of Inge's work, but this vase is perfect - white, but not dead white, glossy but not shiny, slim and tall enough to support and show off sweet peas as if Inge had them in mind when she made it.. Look closely to see the vertical seam on one side of the vase; on the other side is the subtle imprint of a hand - making the vase pretty enough to display on its own during that long, sad, sweet pea deprivation to come....

Comments

[Ruth]

Gorgeous! And where did you get the orange beauties? I'm local, and I thought I searched all over and online and mostly found 'coral' varieties, which are more pink to my eye.

[valerie Easton]

Hi Ruth,
I'm not even sure what variety the orange ones are - I didn't get seeds started this spring, because the ground was cold and wet for so long...so I bought every fragrant start I could find at Swanson's Nursery and Wells-Medina....both nurseries had good selections...

[Ruth]

Thanks, those are two of my faves! I stuck with seeds because I've just been determined to get good results. I failed for 3 years in a row, but finally succeeded this year. Planted very late in a huge, warm pot and it worked. But...no orange!

[mein tenu samjhawan ki]

hi
good post helped me a lot :-)

[Kristen McGuiness]

Hi Valerie,

I live in Los Angeles and am planning to plant sweet peas for my wedding in July. I wanted to get your thoughts on when would be the best time to plant to have them in full bloom for 7/7. So excited to grow our own beautiful flowers!!

Many thanks,
Kristen