Painted Lady

Why it suits Ireland

The pale colouring is the practical argument. Deep maroon sweet peas disappear into a border on a dull day, and Ireland provides plenty of dull days. A pink and white bicolour holds its own in flat grey light in a way that dark flowers do not, which is the same reason white and pale planting is so effective in Irish gardens generally.

As an old grandiflora it shares the resilience of the type: smaller flowers that shed rain, wirier stems, and better wind tolerance than the large ruffled Spencers. It flowers early too, usually from June on an autumn sown plant.

Its weakness is the same as every pale flower here, which is that rain marks it. After a heavy wet spell the older flowers go papery and brown at the edges, so picking regularly is doing double duty: it keeps the plant flowering and keeps the display clean.

Growing notes

Sow in October for the strongest plants, or February and March under cover. Deep pots or root trainers, 2cm deep, kept at around 15C rather than anywhere warm.

Pinch out the growing tip above the third or fourth pair of leaves once the seedling is established. This gives several strong basal shoots instead of one thin climbing stem.

Plant out 20cm apart in March or April at the foot of a properly anchored wigwam or netting run, into ground enriched with compost. Expect around 1.8m.

Feed weekly with a high potash tomato feed from the first flowers and water deeply in dry weather. Stem length and flower size both come directly from how well fed and watered the plant is.

Pick every two or three days, take off any browned flowers after heavy rain, and remove every seed pod you find until you are ready to let it set seed at the end of the season.