GARDENS
Spring into action
As our gardens reawaken, set your sights on summer blooms – and witnessing the antics of wildlife just doing what comes naturally
by LUCY HALL
SOW… for sweet smell
Scent-sation King Edward VII sweet peas are great for aroma.
Sowing seeds sets you on the road to summer and is full of optimism, whatever the weather. For fragrant sweet peas, sow now as they need an early start to produce the most blooms. There’s no need to nick the seed coating – use new seed and sow 3cm deep into tall modules of pre-dampened seed compost; place somewhere warm or with a heat pad under to encourage germination. Once stems reach 15cm, snip them off above the second or third set of leaves to encourage bushier growth. Move each seedling to a 9cm pot, to grow on in a cooler spot, ready to plant out in April-early May once the soil warms. ‘Matucana’, ‘King Edward VII’ or most Grandiflora types give the best fragrance.