I made a ‘sweat pea teepee’ in my garden when I was 7 months pregnant

A mum has told how she transformed her boring garden corner into a little slice of paradise for just £6.43 – and all while she was seven months pregnant.

Annika Jones used several bargains from discount stores such as The Range and One Beyond to build a ‘sweat pea teepee’ for her three-year-old son.

Lathyrus is a beautiful, lush flower species, usually in the colours pink, lilac and white. You can easily grow it yourself from seed.

Annika wanted to add ‘more colour and character’ to the corner of her garden for her nature-loving son.

The 22-year-old spent just £2.99 on some bamboo to build the teepee enclosure and 99p on garden wire so her newly planted sweet peas could grow gradually.

She bought five packets of sweet pea seeds for 49p each from The Range, earning a total of £6.43.

As soon as the sweet peas start to bloom in the bamboo, a shady tipi is created – hence the name.

“I saw the teepee idea on Pinterest and knew my son would love it as he is a huge fan of bugs and bees and this would encourage them,” Annika tells Fabulous.

“After I planted the sweet pea seeds, my son wanted to grow them straight away, so I wanted to plant more around the teepee itself.

“My father was a landscape architect, so I knew what I was doing.”

To further raise the corner, the Wrexham mother dug shallow trenches to build small flower beds around her tipi.

While this step is not necessary for making a cheap “lathyrus tepee”, it certainly adds to the charm while you wait for the flowers to bloom on the bamboo sticks.

Annika spent another £75 on plants and flowers for the decorative borders, which she bought from B&Q, B&M, Home Bargains, The Range and Asda.

She also bought six bags of potting soil from B&Q for £20 to give her new plants a home and spent £16.50 on wooden edging.

“I saved a few plants from the reduced section because they were dying,” she says. “But I quickly brought them back to life.”

For Annika, carrying out the garden project was a breeze, despite being seven months pregnant.

“I am a very practical person, I like to be busy all the time,” she adds.

“People always tell me to stop and take it easy.

“I took several breaks during work and needed my partner to help me move the grass with a wheelbarrow.

“But other than that I really enjoyed it and I hope to tackle another smaller project before our baby comes along.

“I am currently taking a year off from my carpentry training at university to have my second child, but I will be returning to work in 2026.”