Yes, I plant sweet peas almost every year, usually at one end or the other of one of my regular rows of peas. The major "problem" with them is the weather. They are kind of a gamble here. If it's a cool to average year, they are fine and can be very beautiful. If its a hot year, they may fizzle out prematurely without having many flowers. The other problem with them is critters. I have had them chewed up pretty badly by woodchucks or rabbits, but this doesn't seem to happen ever time, so I think there are other things that animals might prefer. The earlier you plant them, the better they seem to do -- sow as soon as the soil can be worked. As long as the summer isn't excessively hot (upper 80s and 90s), if you dead head them, they'll bloom quite a bit longer.

Hi Anne, Would love to swap you for some very fragrant sweet pea seeds. Please look at my trade list and let me know if I have anything you want. Thanks for looking, Jen

Another thing I like about the sweet peas is the leaves don't get black spot. The trellis stays lush and green even when the roses are completely defoliated. Given how my roses are already budding out while the sweet peas are still seedlings I doubt in my zone that the two will bloom at the same time. Of course, I could be wrong so we will just have to wait and see. Frankly if they do bloom simultaneously it won't be a great tragedy. The yellow roses would contrast beautifully with the violet-blue sweet peas. Should only be about 2-3 weeks before we find out. My experience is limited to just one year but in no way can I honestly describe this vine as invasive. Morning Glories - they are invasive. So is mint and English Ivy, but not the sweet peas. My Captain of the Blues didn't reseed from last year. Even if it does, removal of the vines is so easy that my 68 year old mother could do it without any effort. Patrick

I love my sweetpea bush. It will fill up the space by next year. In the mean time why not just plant some white bacopa. Two or three bacopas will soon cover the ground around it. I like lobelia too mixed with bacopa. Alysum smells a lot better than bacopa though. It would also be a good opportunity to place a couple of nice rocks that you like the shape of, or that mean something to you.