This wild sweet pea has finally been beaten down into neglected submission. For years, it had been staking its overbearing claim to its self-seeded and self-chosen corner of the garden, where I let it climb and re-seed for a moment. How could I not allow such a marvelous color to exist, so long as I kept it on a short leash?
It was a yearly battle, one I almost lost on occasion, as volunteers took hold around the original plant, with roots surprisingly strong and not so easily pulled despite how thin the stems were. In the end, though, I managed to keep it in check. Cutting it back by half after its first bloom prevented much of the reseeding, and also inspired a second flowering later in the season.
This year, it seems all that hard love might finally have been a bit too harsh, as it’s made a piss-poor showing of blooms. I caught these right after a rainy night, and missed their typical magnitude. Perhaps it’s time for some potash to thank them for all their years of service.
