While some celebrate St. Patrick's Day by wearing green and enjoying a beer and Guinness at the pub, gardeners get dirty by planting a particular flower.
Tradition has it that sowing sweet pea seeds before dawn on March 17 results in larger, more fragrant flowers .
This has made St. Patrick's Day an important date in the gardening calendar for growing this delicious plant .
Watch the video above.
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But that doesn't mean you have to sow sweet pea seeds that day, or that you'll have missed the boat if you sow them later.
Since temperatures are still warm in the first month of fall, it can actually be beneficial to wait until the weather cools down a bit.
"Although St Patrick's Day is not the ideal time for sowing sweet peas in all parts of Australia, it is still a useful reminder that sweet peas can be sown in autumn and spring," said Marcelle Swanson, Diggers' product marketing manager Club . he tells 9honey Living.
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Sweet peas can be sown directly into the ground or in containers, but Swanson recommends sowing the seeds in baskets first if sowing them in the fall.
"In fact, the ideal soil temperature for germination is between 13 and 18°C and it can take 10 to 21 days for seeds to germinate.
"They germinate more quickly in warmer soil, but can become leggy. In colder temperatures they may not germinate at all. When planted in trays, room temperature and soil moisture are easily controlled," says Swanson.
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Some gardeners, including Swanson, recommend soaking seeds in water before sowing to start the germination process. But you can also use them directly.
Once your plants have grown and spring has arrived (wait until after the last frost if your area has frost), you can transplant the plants into prepared soil.
Sweet pea plants are usually ready for transplanting when they have three to four leaves. At this time, you can also pinch back the plant and remove the top pair of leaves to encourage bushier growth and more flowers.
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Since sweet peas are one of the plants that require support to grow, you will need some sort of trellis for them to climb and it is important to time it.
"Sweet peas easily attach to any open structure they can twine their tendrils around, from simple wire fences to cane teepees to elaborate arbors and trellises. "It is important to provide support before planting or transplanting to avoid damage to young plants as they grow." says Swanson.
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Sweet peas look beautiful growing in the garden or in a bouquet in a vase. Colors include purple, pink, white and red, while some varieties have a mottled appearance or petals in more than one color.
So plant them today or later this season if you want them to bloom in spring; Otherwise, you can wait until spring and enjoy these beauties in summer.
Or, for those who really love this flower, why not do both?
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