Gardens > Plants > Sweet Peas

Botanical name: Lathyrus odoratus (odoratus meaning scented).

Often cited as the official flower of April (along with the Daisy) the sweet pea is thought to have been introduced into Britain via mail from a Sicilian monk to an English schoolmaster in 1699. Not considered much to look at at the time it redeemed itself through its heady ‘sweet’ scent, presumably the reason for its popular name of sweet pea. Henry Eckford managed to breed the grandiflora strain in the 19th century which managed to retain the scent of the originals while enlarging the flowers in a wide range of colours. The plant didn’t gain its widespread popularity however until one of Eckford’s varieties “Prima Donna” mutated at Earl Spencer’s estate at Althorp in 1899 producing “Countess Spencer” the forebear of the massive range of what is now known as Spencer sweet peas. It was the Spencer sweet peas with their wavy petals and variable scent that jettisoned the sweet pea to its current level of popularity.

Sweet peas can grow over 2m high (that’s over 7ft!) so generally need some sort of support like a bamboo wigwam or trellis to help them along. You can get dwarf varieties but if you have a sunny spot in the garden just dying for some colour, be bold and buy the non-dwarf varieties.

Sweet pea seeds are usually sown in pots in the autumn but it is possible to sow them outside directly where you want them to grow from mid-March to early April.

• Choose an open site that gets plenty of direct sunlight.
• Sow the seeds 2 – 3 inches apart, about 1 – 2 inches deep.
• When they have produced 2 pairs of leaves, pinch out the growing tip to encourage the side shoots.
• Thin them to about 6 – 8 inches apart.
• Tie loosely to the support.
• Don’t overwater the young seedlings but when they are in full growth they will need lots of water.

Top Tip: according to the experts soaking the sweet pea seeds for 24 hours immediately prior to sowing will make the germination of the seeds quicker and more uniform. The seeds will swell after being soaked. Nick the coats of any that fail to swell to allow them to take in water. 


For all things sweet pea – check out: http://www.lathyrus.com and www.sweetpeas.org.uk