Lathyrus odoratus 'Matucana'
spencer sweet pea seed
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: hardy annual
Masses of highly fragrant, bi-coloured blooms appear from July to September adding colour and sweet perfume to the garden. This old-fashioned variety is renowned for its deliciously scented and very beautiful flowers. It was first introduced to Britain in 1700, and it's perfect for training over a wigwam of bamboo canes in a sunny, well-drained site.
In our (not very scientific) sweet pea trial on the nursery, we found that this variety had loads of very beautiful lilac and mauve flowers in August, but these appeared on short (around 6") stems, so it was not the best for cutting. They did have a very nice scent though.
All the sweet-peas in our trial produced significantly better plants when the seeds were sown in autumn rather than spring. - Garden care: From October to late March, sow seeds into pots filled with good-quality seed compost and place them in a cold frame. Pinch out the tips as the plants grow to encourage them to become bushier, and harden off before planting out in a sunny spot from April onwards. Direct sowings can be made in October or March. It is important to remove the faded flowers before they set seed, so picking them to fill a vase inside will only encourage more to form.
- Sow: October-March
- Flowering: June-September
- Approximate quantity: 20 seeds.
