Two years ago, I planted sweet peas in the large pot next to our front door. It gets lots of morning sunshine so it's good for sweet peas and morning glories. When the blossoms were spent, I let the sweet peas go to seed and then collected the seeds into an envelope.This year, I found the seed envelope in the bottom of my seed tote. It had fallen down into the deep recesses of the bag, and I had promptly forgotten about them. Upon discovering them back in January or February, I decided to poke them in the soil and let them sprout.
I discovered the first blossoms from those sweet pea vines late yesterday afternoon. When I went to photograph them today, I realized that I don't remember the previous sweet peas (from which these seeds came) being a deep blue-purple. I remember them being in light pastel shades of white and pink.
Okay... I know the genetics and breeding of certain flowers often result in the seeds from a flower not producing the same color blossoms as the parent plant. Could this be what has happened with this batch?
Then I noticed another blossom on the vines that was even more puzzling. I know I didn't have any two-colored sweet peas in previous years--especially deep purple ones with delicate pale yellow edges!I don't know how it has happened. I'm certain that some horticultural expert out there could probably give me a more educated answer as to how.
But sometimes the "how" isn't as important as "it happened".
And for a lover of all blue and purple flower, this serendipitous delight is a real treat. So let the sweet peas have their secrets.
