Is it too late for sweet peas?

[TheAdventuresoftheWishingChair]

I tried growing some earlier in the year for the first time in ages. They were lovely healthy plants for weeks and then suddenly, for some reason, they weren't. They are sitting outside slowly dying despite getting as much care as I knew how to give them.

I had my heart set on picking flowers all summer. I see Sarah Raven is still selling seedlings. Is it too late to put them in realistically? They're expensive so I don't want to waste my money if they're just not going to flower if I stick them in now.

Thank you!

Have you got a garden centre/ nursery near you? It would be best to get some started plants.
If you’re in the South then you can problem manage to get some plants started that will flower in July.
Are you sure your current plants are beyond saving? It’s been quite extreme weather, hot, cold and now wet. Are they growing in the ground, if it’s too wet can you make a shelter out of cardboard, to give them a chance of drying out and warming up.
Sorry that you’re disappointed.

Sorry mis read seedlings for seeds!🤭
I’d still try local, if possible as it avoids postage delays.

Ooh a response. Thank you!

I have two garden centres nearby. And yes I'm down south. One has no sweet peas. I suddenly thought I should be ringing the other to ask. SR seems to be warning some of their products are taking 4 weeks to send. Thank you.

The current plants - I'm still giving them a chance. They're outdoors in a nice sheltered sunny spot and I'm making sure to water them on hot days. They just seem to be looking worse each day. But I won't rip them out just in case. But the idea they will ever grow let alone flower seems unlikely. They seem to have stalled at about a foot high.

It’s surprising how pathetic looking sweet peas can turn into sturdy plants. I sowed quite a lit this year, I already had the old seeds and didn’t think they’d all germinate. They did, of course.
When I planted then out they were quite pathetic, but now the ones that have grown to about 30 cms are much more robust. Quite a few are still small and pathetic, but they’ll pick up.

I will keep my fingers crossed! I saw some at my friend's house yesterday and nearly laughed out loud - hers are 6 feet high and covered in flowers. They are so healthy despite how crazy the weather has been. She asked how mine were and I had to fudge an answer. I now can't invite over until at least next year because I am too ashamed

Sweet peas are my favourite flowers so I really should get less crap at growing them

I'm a total novice at this too, but I read that sweet peas don't like being overwatered. So I stopped watering mine so much and hey look much better. They were going yellow, and now they've lost some of the leaves but what's left is looking much healthier.

i bought some plants in a pot this year. I put some at the front of the garden and made a tall wigwam with 6ft canes and twine.

I planted the others about a week later as couldn't decide where to put them. Put them in a pot and made a wigwam with about 2-3ft high canes and placed it at the back of the summerhouse (bottom of the garden) so you have to walk past them. Guess which ones are taller and looking better!

OP, Morrison's are selling plants for £1. There seem to be around 6 plants in each pot. Might be worth just going to a supermarket rather than spending a lot of money on mail order. I planted sweet peas from seed about 6 weeks ago in the conservatory and planted them out in the garden 10 days ago. They are still quite small, only around 6" high, but are strong and I'm hoping they will eventually scramble up their 6 foot wigwams 🌱😊

I am no gardener but got some sweet pea seeds last year. The packet said to soak the seeds in water overnight. So I did but not heard this one before. But it probably helps them to germinate faster.

It’s not always advised to soak the seeds. They do have a tough outer and some people soak, some even rub with fine sandpaper.
There is a train of thought that soaking them can lead to mould growing and the seed rotting.
I just put mine into the already damp compost and after about 10 days they pop up.

Whenever I've sown mine late in June they've never amounted to much.