How to Show 

Growing to Show is a little bit more in depth than just growing for the garden. You want to encourage the plant to produce long stems, and 4 blooms per stem , to impress the Judge, and beat your opponents.

Follow the 'How to Grow' page, but add these tips.

Grow your young plants up individual canes. One plant per cane, in double rows, spaced 2 feet apart. 6" between the canes.

About 2 weeks later remove the weakest side shoot leaving just one. Tie this on to the cane.

Feed and water on a regular basis. 

Cut off the tendrils and tie in using twist ties or Sweet Pea rings.

More side shoot will form next to the leaf. You should remove these too, except the one near the top growth (in case your top growth fails, or gets broken)

When the plants get between 3 and 4 feet high you need to layer them. This involves untying the twist ties, laying the first 4 plants along the ground, and then tying up to the 4th cane. Please look at my YouTube clip that will explain this more. This keeps the plant lower, and encourages long stems, easy to pick.

Join your local Horticultural Society, Gardening Club, or the National Sweet Pea Society to get a schedule (list of classes to enter) in your local Show. 

Pick your flowers on the day of the Show, early, as the morning sap will keep the flowers fresher for longer.

Put them in water, and try to keep them separate so the petals don't bruise. 

Keep them out of direct sunlight. 

Cut them with the stems as long as possible so you can stage (place) them in the vases provided.

Pick flowers with 4 blooms per stem.

Look at how other competitors are placing them in their vases and try to copy them. You will get adept over time. 

Check the schedule carefully to see what staging material you can use in the vase to hold the flowers up. 

Take the Judges decision with good grace. 

Enjoy the day, and hopefully you will win a rosette, or prize money, or a cup, 

trophy or medal.