Can You Grow Sweet Peas in Brisbane?

Can you grow sweet peas in Brisbane? Looks like it…

I’ve been asked a lot lately if you can grow sweet peas in Brisbane. And I can understand the query. Sweet peas are best grown in milder climates and like to enjoy a cool winter before coming into force in spring. That’s not how we would describe Brisbane mostly-hot weather.

But can you grow sweet peas in Brisbane? Yes, absolutely! It takes a little tweaking to ensure that they don’t get too hot and overheated and wither away under Brisbane’s hot sun, while also getting enough sun to grow tall up over trellis’ and produce beautiful fragrant flowers. I’ve grown sweet peas in Brisbane the last few years (planting in April/May and getting lots of lovely blooms in July/August).

The simple trellis system I used and some of the sweet pea varieties (above) I’ve grown

Can You Grow Sweet Peas In Brisbane | 3 Tips

#1 Manage Their Sunlight: I purposely planted my sweet peas in my backyard where they got lots of morning sun, but were shaded in the afternoon so that they didn’t get too blasted with heat.

#2 Support Them: Sweet peas grow long and tall (up to 2 metres tall) on a vine, so they need support. You can grow them up a fence, carport or a trellis. I used temporary fencing from Bunnings and it worked a treat!

#3 Compact The Season: Sweet peas are traditionally planted on St Patrick’s Day and bloom in spring in September. In Brisbane I compact the season and plant them in April or even May (March is too hot) and the blooms arrive early in July. The flowering is over as the heat ramps up in September. It’s a short season, but they smell so incredible that I’m okay with that!

Sweet peas fringed by purple Jacaranda blooms in my backyard

Looking for more info? Check out my take on What Flowers To Plant In Brisbane In Summer or my Flowers At Home Garden Guide.