Monday 11 July 2011

First Dahlias - But Where Are My Sweet Peas?

This year for the first time I planted four dahlia bulbs (are they bulbs or tubers?) anyway, I started them off on the conservatory windowsill and when all chance of frost had passed they were planted out. This week we were rewarded with the first of the flowers:



With some buddleia (sp?) - looks a bit like a jesters hat!!


One of the plants has THOUSANDS of tiny black bugs on it (you can see a couple of the bugs in the pic above) as well as ants coming and going and eating the bugs!! What are they? Do we need to do anything with them?

I planted the dahlias particularly to cut as I understand the more flowers you cut, the more will grow - like sweet peas.

Which brings me on to ask WHERE ARE MY SWEET PEAS? I planted 36 plants in  May and I still don't have flowers. They are are 3' tall and look happy enough but no flowers.

Last year (my first year of growing them) we had just three plants which were planted later and we had flowers from the first week of July. Does this mean that this years ones are duff? I do hope not - I love sweet peas.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend....

hugs,

S x
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14 comments:

  1. Unknown11 July 2011 at 15:20

    Beautiful flowers. I was at a church fete on sat wearing a lime green cardigan and had loads of those pesky black bugs on me, they are so annoying!
    Dx

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  2. salty pebble11 July 2011 at 15:27

    i love your images of your kitchen and flowers! so pretty!!!! i had those little weeeeny black buggys on my tomato plants- yes would also like to know if they eat the leaves like sluggers! hehe x

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  3. Unknown11 July 2011 at 16:40

    Pretty! I love sweet peas too, they smell beautiful! :)
    Ashley x

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  4. Unknown11 July 2011 at 18:04

    Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog today! I am absolutely rubbish at cooking and was wondering when I made it on Saturday if the lasagne would have 'firmed up' a bit when reheated. I'm not giving up on the recipe, going to give it another go.

    Love your flowers (and your kitchen is soooo pretty) I really want to grow my own flowers for cutting in the garden but I'm always scared to prune just in case no more grow back. If you haven't already, have a look at my friend Belinda's blog 'Wild Acre', I think you might like it. She runs a small organic floristry business from her home and every Friday from this week she is doing a guide to growing and harvesting flowers for cutting. She is fab and makes everything sound so easy.

    Nicki xx

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  5. **Anne**12 July 2011 at 03:41

    Gorgeous flowers Sarah. I am growing sweet peas for the first time this year and I'm not sure what to expect. I hope you get some blooms soon.
    Anne xx

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  6. Lostinblue12 July 2011 at 07:39

    I love your flowers Sarah, such pretty colours.
    They look perfect there!

    Hope the sweetpeas are ok!

    :)

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  7. Sue Pinner12 July 2011 at 15:41

    Hi Sarah....need to check Phil's email for the company we had the swing from but so l'll let you know..lots of companies doing them but all different prices this link is the nearest to the price we paid..but l will mail you exactly where we had it from later
    Love the flowers, hope your sweet peas bloom soon love the smell from them
    http://www.gardenfurnituredirect.co.uk/top-sellers/baharu-swing-bed-with-mattress.html

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  8. Gem12 July 2011 at 21:56

    Wow I do love your kitchen. So light and airy and cool. Perfect! I love bunting too.
    Those flowers look so gorgeous I can almost smell them.
    Hope well at your end
    Gem xx

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  9. Cuckoo12 July 2011 at 22:26

    Don't talk to me about sweet peas. Every year I grow them and I rarely get a flower. Mine are only about a foot tall too. A triumph of hope over experience. I'll keep trying, gotta get it right someday. My dahlias have miraculously survived being left in the ground all winter long and are coming up beautifully, not blooming yet though as they are the dinner plate variety and tend to bloom later. Lucky you having blooms already. Gorgeous ones too.

    Now I'm doing a bloggy catch up so you may get another comment from me in a mo.

    Oh and I am going to get a post out soon thanking you for my award way back t'other week.

    xxx

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  10. Kimberley12 July 2011 at 23:00

    Oh how I love sweet peas but I just can't seem to grow them now. I grew them the year my daughter was born and gave the midwife a bunch every day she visited for the first week and now they always remind me of that whenever I smell them. The flowers in the first photo look lovely. You can't beat home grown flowers x

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  11. Sarah @ Modern Country Style13 July 2011 at 20:24

    Your little vase of flowers looks perfect! I love that country look you've arranged. Gorgeous!!

    I'd guess that your sweet peas just went out slightly on the late side and so are being a bit slow with the flowers -but give them time! I'm sure they'll reward you with an awesome display soon enough!

    Sarhax

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  12. Lunch Lady Jan16 July 2011 at 11:07

    I loves your dahlias, I does!! I'm a recent convert to them as, like you, I love cut flowers in the house and dahlias just keep going! My sweet peas are behind too - in fact, all my beans in the veg patch have not been their usual strong selves. Maybe it was that very hot, dry spell?

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  13. Nyu19 July 2011 at 18:38

    Very beautiful flowers, I wish to buy some more flowers to our apartment when I get some money (let's just hope my fiance will let me, haha! :D)!


    ("Read my Blog! NEWBIE FRIENDLY"; Nyu @ swap-bot)

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  14. Annaboo's House19 July 2011 at 20:45

    Lush flowers.
    I love buddleia too. My mum and dad used to have a ginormous one outside the house and I loved watching all the butterflies.
    X

    ReplyDelete

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S x

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