Tag Archive | lathyrus sativus

The first Sweet Pea of the year

May29

… has finally arrived. It is Solstice Light Blue, an early multiflora variety.

Lathyrus "Solstice Light Blue"

Lathyrus “Solstice Light Blue”

 

sweet pea "Solstice Light Blue"

sweet pea “Solstice Light Blue”

It looks not very blue so far, but silvery-lavender. The scent is underwhelming, too. It was sown on the 3rd of March and planted outside a month later. According to Roger Parsons Website, it was “raised by David Lemon and introduced in 2008”. It is my 1st multiflora variety and I expected them to show up much sooner. Maybe I put them outside too late. Or the intense cold spell a few weeks ago stunted their development. The temperatures did change drastically throughout the month.

The bluest Lathyrus of them all is now really starting to show it’s azure glory:

Lathyrus sativus azureus

Lathyrus sativus azureus

The Chickling Pea hast been cultivated for food and fodder since ancient times – seeds were found in prehistoric settlements in Egypt, Bosnia and the Middle East. The Romans described several varieties, too. In Germany it has only been grown since the early 16th century. It is mainly grown for fodder, but in some countries – Spain and Italy for instance – it is also used in several dishes. In some regions of Germany, people use “Platterbsen” for stews and soups (only the white seeds). I have not tried that yet. The taste is described as a mixture between chickpeas and beans. Consuming Chickling Peas in larger quantities is dangerous though, because it can lead to “lathyrism” – a nasty neurodegenerative disease – caused by the alkaloid lathyrin.

The blossoms are rather small, about half the size of a grandiflora (old-fashioned) sweet pea. But the vibrant colour makes up for it (same as the neon-yellow Lathyrus chloranthus). On my balcony both species self-sow.

Merken

Merken

Wildflowers on the fifth floor

May26
Bumblebee meets poppy

Bumblebee meets poppy

Wildflowers are important for any cottage garden. But they are even more urgently required in an urban environment, where pollinators have a harder time finding food. You do not have to exclusively grow natives, but basically have to secure a constant nectar flow throughout the year. When choosing classical cottage garden wildflowers, it is important to check whether they are double-flowered or not. Because the double-flowered varieties are useless for insects: The stamens have been morphed into extra petals. Hence, no pollen. Bumblebees and wild bees are still attracted to the flowers though, and spend a lot of their brief lifetime and limited energy inspecting them hopefully. In vain. In order to nourish the animals, you have to grow cultivars, which are close to the original wild varieties. I usually partially go against that rule, since I love double Cornflowers too much. But I grow a lot too make up for it. Besides, I let about half of my herbs flower. That is the best pollen you can produce, especially on Greek Oregano. Or Savory, my favourite.

Currently my balcony is lit up by some wild Chamomile (seeds collected in the Wendland) and Iceland Poppies, Papaver nudicaule.

Iceland poppies and chamomile.

Iceland poppies and chamomile.

 

Citrus-coloured spring box

Citrus-coloured spring box

Then there are the continuously evolving two meadow boxes in front of my kitchen windows/doors. One is planted in soft colours – Cornflowers, Flax (Linum usitatissimum), Phacelia, Campions (Silene latifolia), Scabiosa “Salmon Queen” and – if they manage to arrive through all the weeds – Shirley poppies. The other one contains Hordeum jubatum, Linaria licilia “Peachy”, Cornflower “Red Ball”, Scabiosa “Black Knight” and, hopefully, Crimson Clover.

Meadow boxes in front of our kitchen

Meadow boxes in front of our kitchen

Linaria licilia "Peach" seen through the kitchen window

Linaria licilia “Peach” seen through the kitchen window

Melittis melissiophyllum I have mentioned before… too bad, that it is pretty much ignored right now, although fully in bloom and really fragrant. The leaves have a sort of spicy, Myrrh-ish scent. Alas, the bumblebees do not care for it at all. Another great wildflower which will open soon is Agastache cana, Hummingbird mint. The native American does not have the typical liquorish scent of the species (which I loathe) but smells more like oregano or some other mediterranian spice. Leaves and blossoms are totally fab as salad-, pasta-, or spread deco. But native pollinators like them, too – so it is important to leave some unharvested. The plant behaves as a perennial on my balcony: I grew it from quite old seeds last year. It survived the winter and was one of the first ones to show fresh shoots this year.

Lathyrus sativus azureus

Lathyrus sativus azureus

Today the first real Lathyrus blossom opened it`s petals, too. Lathyrus sativus (azureus), the chickling pea. It is bright azure blue, with occasional pinkish undertones. Compared with real sweet peas, it is very small – and it has no fragrance whatsoever. Nevertheless, it has the true blue all real sweet peas fail to achieve, plus it arrives earlier and lasts longer after dry spells.

Merken