Finely drawn pink-purple flowers with a delicate fragrance, carried on a vine that hauls itself 6½ to 16 feet up a lattice or a set of poles: sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is grown as a scented screen or miniature hedge. Give it full sun and rather rich soil, and it flowers on and on.
| Name | Lathyrus odoratus |
|---|---|
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Type | climbing vine |
| Height | 6 ½ to 16 feet (2 to 5 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Flowering | late spring to mid-autumn depending on the variety |
Its finely drawn flowers and its delicate fragrance makes it one of the most beautiful annuals.
Try growing sweet pea once, and you will never regret it…
Even though sweet pea isn’t a very demanding plant, it still is at its best in rather rich soil.
If you purchase your sweet pea in a nursery pot, don’t transplant it to the ground until the end of spring.
If you’re looking to sow your seeds yourself, sow directly in the plot as soon as spring arrives for it to bloom in summer.
A good combination is to sow some of the seeds in a sheltered spot in winter, and the other part at the beginning of spring, directly in the ground. That way, you’ll have two different blooming seasons.
Sweet pea can be sown straight into the plot, started earlier under cover, or bought ready-grown in a nursery pot. The starting method decides when you plant and when you get flowers.
| Method | When | Where | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct sowing | Early spring | Straight into the plot | Blooms the following summer |
| Sowing under cover | Midwinter to late winter | A sheltered spot, under cover | Combined with a spring sowing, gives two blooming seasons |
| Nursery-pot plant | Late spring | Transplanted to the ground | Wait until the end of spring before planting out |
Whichever route you choose, soaking the seed first gets germination away to a quicker start.
Remove dead flowers as they appear, in order to boost flower-bearing during the entire blooming season.
Sweet pea is sold both as annuals and perennials (this depends on the climate since it dies when freezing occurs) and has very beautiful pink purple flowers.
This fragrant plant adapts perfectly to growing along a lattice to which it will bind itself to, covering a wall or turning into a very fragrant miniature hedge.
To increase blooming, add cocoa hull mulch. It is both trendily aesthetic and at the same time a great fertilizer!
