Growing Sweet Peas In Adelaide
Some of the amazing sweet peas I get in my backyard
Growing sweet peas in Adelaide can take a little extra planning (because they need to be grown at a specific time of year and also need to have support from a trellis or fence because they grow up to 2 metres high) but it is so worth it because the have such an incredible nostalgic fragrance and are almost impossible to find for sale anymore!
If growing sweet peas in Adelaide is on your garden wish list, I’ve put together some of my key tips for success below for growing this stunning flower so you can enjoy the unmistakeable sweet pea scent come spring!
The best thing about growing sweet peas in Adelaide is the amazing fragrance. Some of my sweet pea flowers (above)
Growing Sweet Peas In Adelaide | 3 Tips
#1 Plant in autumn
Sweet peas are a flower that likes a bit of cool weather, so if you have been wondering when to plant sweet peas in Adelaide, the simple answer is in autumn, and the tradition is to plant them on March 17 on St Patrick’s Day. However, because it’s still warm and even hot in mid-March, I would recommend planting your sweet peas up to a month later than St Patrick’s Day when the weather cools down. The flowers then arrive in early spring.
#2 Plant them over a trellis or other support
Sweet peas need support as they grow on a vine up to 2 metres tall. Many people plant them next to a fence or over a trellis or even up carport pillars! My brother Fergus set up a very light jute trellis that he attached to a hook on the wall on his balcony for the sweet peas to grow up and I’ve bought standalone fencing from Bunnings that was super easy to set up for sweet peas growing in my backyard.
#3 Plant variety groups together
There are so many beautiful varieties (like the stunning deep claret Beaujolais and the bright purple Leamington varieties) and while it can be tempting to plant a heap of different colours together, I really recommend growing a clump from each group together (for example 10 Leamington in a row together) because they flower at the same time and it also makes saving sweet pea seeds at the end of the season so much easier. Lambley Nursery has a lot of nice sweet pea varieties.
Some of the beautiful sweet peas I grew in my backyard including the beautiful purple Leamington variety
Looking for more information? Check out My 2024 Zinnia Guide and The Farmhouse Flower Farm’s Incredible Sweet Pea Garden.
