First pea flowers!

[galina]

Visionary is stunning. 

Its flower colour is utterly stunning, as Pauline said.  WOW!  No red antho ring?  Wonder what the pods will be like.  I will be knocking on your door very hard for seeds (crossed to Telephone if you have any to spare for this one and for the beautiful Unity).   

[galina]

[Silverleaf]

I have to say when I spotted the flowers this morning I was absolutely amazed. I saved a picture from the GRIN website so I knew what to expect - that pic shows a bluish-violet flower which is definitely darker than the standard maroon purple, but nothing like this. This is seriously blue-purple, like a dark royal purple!

I didn't expect that out of a pea. Amazing.

Sure, I can do some extra crosses for you.:)

[Silverleaf]

Oh and yeah, no axil ring, Visionary has d.

[galina]

I have to say when I spotted the flowers this morning I was absolutely amazed. I saved a picture from the GRIN website so I knew what to expect - that pic shows a bluish-violet flower which is definitely darker than the standard maroon purple, but nothing like this. This is seriously blue-purple, like a dark royal purple!

I didn't expect that out of a pea. Amazing.

Sure, I can do some extra crosses for you.:)

Oh thank you so much  Silverleaf 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Most of my experimental peas were from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (http://www.ars-grin.gov/index.html) in the US. They distribute seeds for research purposes (but not to ordinary home gardeners) and I just had to fill in an online form telling them what the purpose of my research is and they sent me little 4/5-seed samples of the ones I was interested in. Apparently I have to share the results of my research with them too.

What's the research? How did you persuade them to part with seed?

[Silverleaf]

Most of my experimental peas were from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (http://www.ars-grin.gov/index.html) in the US. They distribute seeds for research purposes (but not to ordinary home gardeners) and I just had to fill in an online form telling them what the purpose of my research is and they sent me little 4/5-seed samples of the ones I was interested in. Apparently I have to share the results of my research with them too.

What's the research? How did you persuade them to part with seed?

Research is creating a "rainbow pea mix" - pretty enough for the flower garden but with a useful food crop too, as well as a few genetic experiments of my own, combining various genes and noting the effects. I suppose it's as much development as actual research, but it seems it was good enough.

I just had to fill in a short online form. It took me far far longer to decide what material I wanted than it did to make the order.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Thanks. I may try something of the sort myself.

[saddad]

Just going off at a tangent... my red flowered French beans are coming true again (year 3) ... 

[Silverleaf]

Just going off at a tangent... my red flowered French beans are coming true again (year 3) ... 

Wow, really? Red flowers on French beans? How exciting! I thought they only came in purples, pinks and whites. Do you have pictures, because I'd love to see that!

[saddad]

To be fair they are at the purple end of red, but red none the less. I'll post some pics when I am happy they are settled down..

[Silverleaf]

To be fair they are at the purple end of red, but red none the less. I'll post some pics when I am happy they are settled down..

Okay, well I'm still excited, and looking forward to seeing pics. :)

In other legume-related news, I'm harvesting peas seeds for saving. The numbers aren't amazing because it's been really dry and they're in pots rather than a bed, but I think things are going according to plan for next year.

[Jayb]

Oooh very pretty indeed. If you have any seeds available for those any time, I'd be very interested 

Well I only started with a few seeds - 3 plants are growing outside and I have hopefully 4 more germinating, so with any luck I'll have a few to spare once they've grown out. Course you can have some!

Oooh goodie   
And if you do have just a couple Visionary too, they are soooo pretty. I'd be delighted to be able to add them to the Crowns in the future, (no worries if you've none spare  , I know they are in short supply)

Do you have any that have a pale green-yellow coloured flower?

[galina]

To be fair they are at the purple end of red, but red none the less. I'll post some pics when I am happy they are settled down..

Okay, well I'm still excited, and looking forward to seeing pics. :)

In other legume-related news, I'm harvesting peas seeds for saving. The numbers aren't amazing because it's been really dry and they're in pots rather than a bed, but I think things are going according to plan for next year.

Also looking forward to seeing those bean flowers, Chrisscross   

I am glad you are getting seeds too.  On short peas that can be a real problem.  Mice can reach them easily and birds are also partial to opening a few maturing pea pods.  I have just harvested the pods from my F1s at the well leathery stage and finish drying indoors because I really don't want to lose any.   

[Silverleaf]

Oooh very pretty indeed. If you have any seeds available for those any time, I'd be very interested 

Well I only started with a few seeds - 3 plants are growing outside and I have hopefully 4 more germinating, so with any luck I'll have a few to spare once they've grown out. Course you can have some!

Oooh goodie   
And if you do have just a couple Visionary too, they are soooo pretty. I'd be delighted to be able to add them to the Crowns in the future, (no worries if you've none spare  , I know they are in short supply)

Do you have any that have a pale green-yellow coloured flower?

I do have some that are supposed to be greenish-flowered, but I didn't grow them out this year. I just didn't have room for everything I wanted to try!

[Silverleaf]

I am glad you are getting seeds too.  On short peas that can be a real problem.  Mice can reach them easily and birds are also partial to opening a few maturing pea pods.  I have just harvested the pods from my F1s at the well leathery stage and finish drying indoors because I really don't want to lose any.   

Yeah, I'm drying indoors too. My peas are far too precious to risk! I pick the pods when the sepals die off, open them while leaving the peas still attached, and let them dry. This way has the advantage that any pea grubs are immediately obvious and can be dealt with before they munch the whole pod's worth of seeds!

[Silverleaf]

Though I'd share a little story with you.

I've been marking crossed flowers with a piece of coloured yarn around the stem, with a different colour for each cross. White yarn, for example, means Golden Sweet x Purple Podded (or the reverse).

A couple of weeks ago I was in the kitchen when I spotted a baby dunnock perched on the top of a set of canes in the seedsaving/breeding area. I grabbed the binoculars and had a look at it. I noticed something in its beak, sticking out either side, and wondered if it had a grub or caterpillar or small worm or something, but it didn't make sense for a young bird to be carrying food like that. I watched it for a bit but couldn't make out what it was carrying.

The next day I found a piece of pink yarn next to the pea pots. A piece of pink yarn tied in a reef knot, exactly the way I mark my crosses, lying on the floor. Pink means Elisabeth x Tachyon (a test cross, to see if the parents have pink flowers because of the same gene).

I can't help but think the dunnock was involved somehow! ;)

So one of my crosses is now unmarked, and I might be in for a surprise next year... ;)

[Silverleaf]

So, who wants to guess what this flower is? Looks like a tiny little pea flower, right?

[galina]

So, who wants to guess what this flower is? Looks like a tiny little pea flower, right?

But the leaves don't look like pea leaves? I don't think this is a pea?  A blue flower - another legume, I think?  Please put us out of our misery 

[Paulines7]

Is it a perennial sweet pea?

[Silverleaf]

It is a legume, and edible. Does that help?