Sweet peas are one of the few annual flowers with enduring appeal and rural charm. They appear to be the exact opposite of our hurried life as they twine languidly around a rustic trellis. Sweet peas are fantastic flowers for gardens and bouquets thanks to their alluring scent. For information on how to plant and care for sweet peas, read our Sweet Pea Growing Guide!
About Sweet Peas
The sour pea Lathyrus odoratus is an annual flower that looks great twining on a trellis or arch, growing in a cutting garden, border garden, or woods. Today, a wide variety of hues, from pearly white to ice cream pastels to ritzy magentas and inky purples, are available for the blooms.
Only their honey and orange blossom fragrance matches their delicate winged flowers. Their appeal has been ensured by the combination of their exquisite aroma and their capacity to generate a large number of flowers for the house over an extended time of cutting.
One of the keys to cultivating sweet peas is to sow them early. Sweet peas are incredibly tough, despite the way they appear fragile. Plant them in very late winter or early spring in USDA Hardiness Zone 7 or colder, as soon as the soil is dry enough to work with. (Don’t plant seeds after the last frost.
When Dr. Robert Uvedale, a teacher from Enfield, Middlesex, received seeds of this exceedingly fragrant annual in 1699 from a Sicilian monk named Francis Cupani, he brought the first sweet peas to Britain. In North America, they gained enormous popularity as garden plants and cut flowers. By the late 1800s, producers in California, especially W. Atlee Burpee, were exporting trainloads of sweet peas across the nation and creating numerous new varieties.
Some people liken the process of producing sweet peas to that of preparing pie dough. Some individuals are gifted, while others are not. This plant sprouts from large, manageable seeds that resemble peas. They are still rather challenging since they take a while to germinate. It’s worthwhile to experiment with various seeds every year.
When to Plant Sweet Peas
- Sweet peas should be planted as soon as the soil is dry enough to work in very late winter or early spring in most places where frosts occur frequently (Zone 7 and colder). (Start sowing before the last frost! Most certainly, it will be too late.)
- Plant sweet peas in the late fall (November) if you garden in a region with a mild winter climate (Zones 8, 9, or 10), so they can grow and blossom in the late winter and early spring. Six weeks before you plant the seeds, dig a trench and fill it with compost or well-rotted manure to obtain the greatest show. Sweet peas are gregarious plants that require a lot of nutrient-rich materials to flourish.
Sowing Sweet Peas Indoors
- Start sweet peas inside in a seed tray to get a head start on the season in the coldest regions of the nation. Sweet peas can withstand light frosts, so plant out as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring, around 6 to 7 weeks before the last date for frost.
- The seeds’ outer layer is softened and helped to germinate by soaking them overnight. Using a nail file to lightly score the outer shell can also be beneficial.
- 2 seeds to a module is fine to sow the seeds, but keep in mind that their lengthy roots have a propensity to tangle and can make separation challenging. Sow the seeds around half an inch deep in each cell of a seed tray.
- Scoop them out gently after they start to sprout their first pea-like leaves and place them in a larger container to harden off. One of the most reputable growers of sweet peas gave me the following piece of advice: “Treat the seedlings as I would treat my husband: put them in an unheated greenhouse, ignore them, and they will thrive.
- Plant them outside as soon as the soil can be worked.
Sowing Seeds in the Ground
- Sweet peas thrive when their roots are firmly planted in cold, wet soil and their heads are exposed to sunlight. Plant low-growing annuals in front of them if you can to provide shade for the roots.
- Pick a spot that drains effectively. If your soil tends to be acidic, it is recommended to add some powdered lime to the surface.
- Mix liberal amounts of compost or well-rotted manure into the ground to a depth of two feet to create a rich soil. (Learn more about adding amendments to the soil and getting it ready for planting.)
- You should dig a beautiful, deep “compost trench” that is around 4 inches deep before planting.
- After digging the trench, use a pencil to cut holes, place the seeds inside, and then press down on the earth to compact it and block out any light.
- The seeds should be soaked in water for 24 hours prior to sowing. To hasten sprouting, nick the seeds with a nail file before planting. In a temperate climate, seeds don’t need to be soaked.
How to Grow Sweet Peas
- Depending on the soil temperature, germination after planting can take anywhere from 7 to 15 days.
- Fill in the trench gradually as the seedlings appear and develop. Hoe additional dirt toward them.
- Keep the soil wet. Summer rains may be plentiful. Sweet peas can have bud drop; if you stick your finger into the soil bed to its first joint and the soil is dry, water them at the soil level and do so in the morning.
- You won’t need to fertilize if you plant with a lot of compost and aged manure. Use high potash feeds if you do want to supplement the diet because nitrogen feeds promote excessive top development.
- Mulch well once plants are planted to keep the soil cool and moist. Unless the soil becomes dry, you might not need to water your sweet peas if you mulch.
- Pinch off the tops when plants are 6 inches tall, not sooner, as this will promote the production of side shoots too early.
Provide Supports
- When temperatures rise above 65°F, sweet peas will begin to fade since they like chilly days and nights.
- Sweet peas are true climbers, with the exception of the bush forms. Provide them with sufficient support for at least 6 feet. Some species can reach heights of nine or ten feet. A braided willow obelisk, bamboo poles in the tee-pee design, or a trellis are examples of other attractive supports. If you don’t have a fence or trellis, give them something to cling on, such chicken wire, bushy twigs, or brush.
- Give the plants a good start by tying the first few stems to the support; the rest will follow. When they reach a height of 4 to 8 inches, use your thumb and forefinger to pinch out the middle growing point. Plants will grow stronger as a result.
Picking Flowers
- Pick flowers frequently for bouquets so that the plant will focus its energy on producing additional blooms rather than seeds. Up until the first frosts, the more you pick, the more they produce.
- Allow a couple of the final blossoms to mature into seedpods when the leaves begin to lose their color. On a windowsill, dry them, and then keep in an envelope in a dry location to sow the following year.
From miniature bedding kinds ideal for pots and borders without support to 8-foot-plus scramblers, there are sweet pea varieties for every setting.
These decorative peas are native to Sicily, where they have flimsy stems and a powerful orange-jasmine-honey aroma. Modern hybrids feature larger blooms and stronger stalks.
However, some of these contemporary kinds, despite having larger blossoms and more fashionable colors, lack the earlier sweet peas’ perfume. Sweet pea ‘Cupani’ is still rightfully well-liked and simple to grow. It has bi-colored flowers with maroon upper petals and violet “wings.”
The decadently fragrant “America” is an antique from 1896. When its petals open, beautiful red and white wavy stripes are revealed.
Look for antiques like the Sicilian “Old Spice” collection. Shades of white, cream, pink, lavender, and purple can be seen in this strain’s blossoms.
A new cultivar with enormous, creamy-yellow blooms with violet shading called “April in Paris” is aromatic.
Although the ordinary sweet pea is an annual, Lathyrus latiflolius, a perennial broad-leaved everlasting pea, is not fragrant. These clambering plants have a height of up to 6 or 7 feet, are hardy to zone 5, require little care, and bloom continuously from year to year.
- An essential component of a late Victorian garden is the sweet pea. Because of their wide range of colors and aroma, Victorians adored sweet peas.
- When the dew is still on the flowers in the morning, gather them. Their best aroma is at this time.
What can be used to help sweet peas climb?
Because they are climbing plants, sweet peas require support as they develop. Obelisks, wigwams, trellises, and garden canes are commonly used structures. Simple wire supports or sweet pea rings can also be purchased (or made), especially close to a wall.
The supports for sweet pea plants are encircled by their tendrils, so they shouldn’t require tying in. You might want to direct some of the stems in the proper direction, though.
By routinely clipping the blossoms before they set seed, you can extend the blossoming season. Bring them inside and put them in vases.
Sweet peas are produced for their fragrant, delicate blossoms. There is a wide variety of items available with various hues, designs, and scents.
Sweet peas have the ability to climb.
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus cvs.) rank among the most beautiful annual flowers in my opinion. During the spring, these lovely vintage vines blossom for almost a month. The long-stemmed sprays of fluted and ruffled flowers emit an alluring medley of scents that make me think of orange and jasmine blossoms. A room literally smells like a sweet pea bouquet.
Even though cultivating and enjoying sweet peas as cut flowers is a tradition in gardening, these gorgeous blooms are frequently referred to as being “difficult to grow.” However, I’ve discovered that sweet peas are comparatively carefree and enjoyable to cultivate if planted at the appropriate time and given the right conditions. They are deserving of every gardener’s attention thanks to their huge variety of entrancing colors and eerie scent.
Sweet peas
Origins: This aromatic annual vine offers a wide range of varieties. Around 1699, a monk in Italy found the species.
Sweet peas need rich, well-drained soil and can grow in full sun to light shade.
Pests and ailments: Plants require space to encourage air circulation, which will prevent mildew issues. Birds, slugs, snails, aphids, and thrips can occasionally be a problem with sweet peas.
Propagation: Seeds should be used to start new plants. In locations with moderate winters, plant seeds in the fall or early spring. Start seeds indoors in the late winter in regions with harsh winters, and transplant in the spring.
Sweet peas require a lot of food, so fertilize them often throughout the growing season. Deadheading promotes a longer blooming season.
Sow seed in cool weather
For sweet peas to be grown successfully, there are some rules to go by. Plants require full sun to partial shade, well-draining soil, and good drainage. Sweet peas are prone to mildew, thus adequate plant spacing is necessary for proper air circulation. Until they are 4 to 5 inches tall, young seedlings must also be shielded from slugs, snails, and roving birds. Most importantly, seeds need to be planted and raised in cool climates.
Sweet peas are best planted in the fall, right after Labor Day, in regions with warm winters and hot summers. As a result, the seeds have more time to germinate and form strong root systems, which aid in the seedlings’ ability to survive the winter and grow quickly once springtime and longer days arrive. If you forget to plant in the fall, start the spring seedlings as soon as you can in a spot that gets some afternoon shade. Sweet peas can be planted later in the spring for a late-summer bloom in areas like the Pacific Northwest that experience mild winters and moderately cool summers.
Sweet peas should be sown indoors in regions with chilly winters, then moved outdoors once the conditions are right. To prevent the roots from being disturbed during transplantation, sow the seeds in separate containers with a diameter of 3 to 4 inches. It’s crucial to avoid burying seedlings in the ground any deeper than in containers. Direct-sow seeds in a location that receives some afternoon shade as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring if summer heat or humidity develops quickly in your area. Unlike many other annual seedlings, sweet-pea seedlings are reasonably resilient and can withstand a light frost.
Prep seeds and beds first
When you know when to plant your seed, you are prepared to move forward. A healthy sweet pea plant will have a germination rate of 78 to 90%. I’ve discovered that nicking the seeds is the greatest approach to improve germination after several years of testing. Create a small nick or cut in the seed’s outer layer using nail clippers. No piece needs to be gouged out; just make a hole for moisture to enter.
Choose a location with well-drained soil for straight sowing the seed. Before planting, add aged manure or compost to the soil and create a sturdy support structure. Up strings, wire netting, fencing, trellises, and tuteurs, I’ve grown sweet-pea vines. I wrap twine or netting over thicker poles so that the vines can grasp because their tendrils can’t climb on anything larger than 14 inches in diameter.
Plant the seeds 2 to 3 inches apart and 1 inch deep when sowing them in the garden. Dig down to check if they are still present if none of them germinate within two to four weeks, depending on the cultivar. Plant more immediately if any have decayed or been consumed because newly sowed seeds can catch up to those that have already sprouted quickly. It’s crucial to thin seedlings when they are several inches tall so that they are spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. This spacing encourages proper airflow, which reduces mildew issues and gives the vines ample room to develop.
Simply orient your sweet peas in the appropriate direction when they are 4 to 5 inches long to teach them to grow on a support. They will effortlessly climb up on their own once they have reached the base of their vertical support.
Use a balanced fertilizer to routinely feed these robust vines throughout their growing and blooming season. Keep the soil in your garden evenly moist but not soggy since sweet peas don’t tolerate big changes in soil moisture. Deadhead flowers to prolong blooming and stop plants from setting seed.
In addition to mildew, while sweet peas are in blossom they are vulnerable to aphids and thrips. Insecticidal soaps do not work effectively on these delicate blossoms. I’ve discovered that an intense water spray usually gets rid of the aphids. When blue sticky traps are strung among the plants, they are quite effective at luring thrips.
The story behind sweet peas
Father Cupani, a botanizing monk, originally found sweet peas in 1699 on an island off the coast of Sicily. Eckford, an Englishman, started hybridizing and selecting sweet peas in the 19th century, resulting in the introduction of grandifloras, which are cultivars that are larger, more exquisitely shaped, and multicolored.
In the English gardens of the Earl of Spencer, a naturally mutated sweet pea with even bigger and more impressive ruffled flowers was found in 1901. The gardening community appreciated these late-blooming, cool-climate Spencer sweet peas, and amateur sweet-pea breeding resulted in the development of plants with a variety of colors and little emphasis on smell.
Since then, American producers have created varieties that are more adapted to our hot, muggy summers. Many of the fragrant, smaller-flowered cultivars from the 19th and early 20th centuries are currently experiencing a rebirth. A lot of new varieties of sweet peas with exquisite form, color, and potent, robust scent are also being introduced thanks to the work of sweet-pea breeders like New Zealander Keith Hammett, American company Bodgers Seeds, and English company Unwins.
A sampling of sweet peas
Garden sweet peas have beautiful, elegant blossoms that range in color from the most delicate pastels to rich, opulent colours. The majority of options are tall vines that can grow up to 8 feet tall in a single season. A few small, non-climbing border-type plants are also present; they only reach heights of 2 to 3 feet. Consider using the small, 8–10 inch long dwarf window-box sweet peas for containers. Here is a list of some suitable cultivars for gardens, along with details on their size and blossom color.