Lesson 6
Vase life and seed saving
Vase life: 4–6 days in fresh water; up to 8 with the recipe below. Sweet peas drink heavily — top up the vase daily, not every other day.
Save seed from a few stems you stop picking in late August. Let the pods turn papery brown on the plant before harvesting; rub the seeds free; store in paper envelopes.
Heritage and open-pollinated varieties come true from seed; modern hybrids may not. Label the saved seed with the parent variety and year — viable for 3–4 years.
What to add to vase water (per 1 litre)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar — feeds the flower in place of the stem it lost.
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice OR clear (white) vinegar — lowers the pH so water moves up the stem more easily.
- 2–3 drops of household bleach OR a clean copper coin — stops the bacteria that block the cut stem (the real reason vases go cloudy and flowers droop early).
- Change the water every 2 days and recut 1 cm off the stem each time. That single habit beats any other 'trick' for vase life.
- Florist sachets (Chrysal, Floralife) are this same recipe pre-mixed — convenient, not magic. Either is fine.
- Avoid: aspirin, copper pennies post-1992 (not real copper), and full-fat lemonade — the sugar load encourages slime.
Sweet peas in arrangements
- Cut with 2 flowers open and 2 buds — the longest vase stage.
- A tight 'posy' of sweet peas in a tumbler is the perfumed classic — works alone.
- For larger arrangements, mix with roses (echoes the scent) and alchemilla (chartreuse foam).
- Recut underwater and top up the vase daily — sweet peas are thirsty.
- Save the strongest plants' seed for next year — heritage varieties come true.