Take the sniff test at Highwic’s Sweet Pea Festival

Take the sniff test at Highwic’s Sweet Pea Festival

Visitors to this year’s Sweet Pea Festival at Highwic – the Newmarket property cared for by Heritage New Zealand – will be invited to take a sniff test.

Internationally renowned horticulturist and leading Sweet Pea breeder, Dr Keith Hammett, will be asking people at the Festival [November 22-23] to give their feedback on the strength of scent from a range of four or five different Sweet Pea cultivars he has developed.

They’ll also get to vote on which ones have the sweetest fragrance by sniffing a posy of each variety, which will be stored in a closed jar to hold the scent when not being tested.

“The Highwic Sweet Pea Festival will provide the perfect opportunity for people to offer their feedback on these exciting new breeds,” says Highwic’s Property Manager, Cheryl Laurie.

“Dr Hammett will also be showcasing different varieties of Sweet Pea suitable for container growing, as well as cultivating in open gardens – and of course he’ll also be continuing his very popular talks and tours of Highwic’s garden throughout the Festival.”

Dr Hammett is the President of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, and was awarded the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society last year in recognition of services given in the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture.

A leading proponent of the Sweet Pea variety, he has pioneered a wide range of cultivars which are ideally suited to Auckland conditions. He will also have a selection of his seed for sale at the festival and will be available to talk to people about the cultivars.

“The Sweet Pea is a perennial favourite whose ancestry can be traced back to Sicily,” says Cheryl.

“The original Sweet Pea was purple and maroon, with seed becoming available commercially in the early 1700s. Its popularity was widely established during the Victorian era, however, as a result of work by Scottish nurseryman Henry Eckford, who cross-bred and developed the original flower. The Sweet Pea has been a gardener’s favourite ever since.”

Highwic’s gardens will be carpeted with thousands of spectacular Sweet Pea blooms by the time of the Festival, thanks to an enthusiastic band of gardening volunteers who regularly commit their time and skills to caring for Highwic’s gardens. And if last year’s show was anything to go by, enthusiasm for the versatile Sweet Pea will draw Auckland gardeners by the hundreds.

“The seeds we planted in mid-winter have already sprung into life and are starting to shoot away – and cultivars planted at our Mortimer Pass entrance are already flowering,” she says.

Other attractions will provide added interest – including floral art displays within Highwic itself, and artists who will be working in Highwic’s garden throughout the Festival (weather permitting).

“We’re very lucky to have leading botanic artist Catherine Ryan, who is based at the Railway Street Studio, at Highwic during the festival, and people will be able to watch her at work,” says Cheryl.

“Other artists will also join Catherine throughout the Festival, including Jane Thorne who is known for her exquisite butterfly paintings.”

Besides their colour and fragrance, Sweet Peas are hardy and low maintenance offering a great return on gardeners’ investment of time, money and effort. They can even be grown as container plants – perfect for Auckland gardens where space is often at a premium.

“Sweet Peas are a favourite bloom of gardeners around the country – and the festival is all about celebrating their place in New Zealand gardens,” she says.

“Everybody loves them.”

Highwic’s Sweet Pea Festival takes place on November 22 and 23 (10am-4.30pm).
Entry – Adults $10; Heritage New Zealand members - $5; Children – free.
Guided tours by Dr Keith Hammett 11am and 2pm both days (Tours with Dr Hammett - $15 per person – email highwic@heritage.org.nz to reserve your place on the tour).

ENDS

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