I cursed myself, I’m sure of it. I thought I’d rid myself of the black thumb (as I’d written on one of my first blog posts), but alas, it’s just as black as ever. The sweet peas, that were doing so well until last week, bit the dust. Or rather, were bit by the aphids. The leaves at the base had been turning yellow for about a week, but my sister Becka advised me to pull the dead leaves off; she said that sometimes happens to climbing plants. So I did that and things seemed okay for a while. Then the roots started to go brown and two days later, when I came home, I noticed hundreds of tiny green bugs all over the place. APHIDS. I HATE APHIDS.
So I called my green-thumb mum and asked what to do. She said “Make a high concentration of dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Douse the plants; it’ll kill the aphids. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” I did that — while exclaiming “Take that, aphids!” — and hoped for the best.
And the aphids died. Except so did the sweet peas. When I came home last night, the plants were just shrivelled, sad, yellowed shells of their former selves. I had to throw them out.
On the plus side, the sweet little trellis I made was still in good shape. So, if you made one yourself, you’ll be pleased to know that the Outdoor Mod Podge was just the ticket. It’ll withstand a lot of wind and rain.
Oh well, better luck next year.
No pictures today because I was too sad to take pictures of dead sweet peas. I just look at the old pictures, of healthy green sweet peas, and sigh, instead.
2 Responses to “ So long, sweet peas (much to my embarrassment) ”
Hi Katie,
I am a non-crafty mother of a very crafty teen and am enjoying your blog immensely. I’ve always admired my daughter for her talents and want to encourage her! Sorry about the sweet peas.
By carina on Aug 2, 2009
Is it possible that while you were trying to rid the sweet peas of the aphids, you might have forgotten to water the plants? that may have caused their demise.
By lynne on Aug 8, 2009