Lathyrus odoratus 'Giant collection'
spencer sweet pea
This collection brings together five exceptional sweet peas, chosen for their strong fragrance, striking colours and excellent cutting qualities. Expect everything from deep blue-purple and rich crimson to soft cream and pink, including a particularly unusual reverse-bicolour flower.
All produce long stems ideal for picking, while their climbing habit makes them perfect for obelisks, trellises and large containers, with regular cutting or deadheading encouraging a generous supply of blooms throughout summer.
All produce long stems ideal for picking, while their climbing habit makes them perfect for obelisks, trellises and large containers, with regular cutting or deadheading encouraging a generous supply of blooms throughout summer.
How to care for Lathyrus odoratus Giant collection:
Gradually harden off the seedlings before planting them out into well-prepared soil, enriched with lots of well-rotted organic matter. Pinch out the growing tips of the young plants as they grow to encourage bushier growth, and provide support for the stems. Apply a balanced liquid plant food every two weeks while in growth. Removing the faded flowers before they set seed will encourage even more to form - which makes them perfect for adding to vases or posies.
Sowing instructions:
From October to late February, sow seeds into deep pots or root trainers filled with good-quality seed compost and place them in a cold frame. Then, after the worst frosts have passed, the seedlings can either be planted out or potted up for the patio. Alternatively, direct sowings can be made in October, or March to April.
What's included:
In this collection you will receive one packet of approximately 20 seeds of each of the following sweet pea cultivated varieties.
- Lathyrus odoratus 'Blue Velvet': Large, well-ruffled blooms in a rich, deep blue-purple shade, carried on long, straight stems ideal for cutting. Highly scented, this sweet pea fills the summer garden with fragrance from early summer into autumn. Regular picking encourages more flowers and prolongs the display. Grows to 1.8m.
- Lathyrus odoratus 'Erewhon': A standout and remarkable sweet pea variety, lauded for its unique flower colouration. A product of modern breeding, it breaks new ground with its darker lower petals compared to the upper ones, earning it the distinction of a true 'reverse bicolour'. Moreover, the blooms exude a delightful sweet pea fragrance. Grows to 1.8m.
- Lathyrus odoratus 'Gwendoline': Creamy-white petals, which look like they have been dipped in pink icing sugar, form luscious sprays of flowers that appear in profusion in summer. This headily-scented variety looks great scrambling over an obelisk or sprawling over a hospitable, neighbouring shrub. Cut the flowers of Lathyrus odoratus 'Gwendoline' to fill your home with perfume, or leave them outside for the bees buzz about. Grows to 1.8m.
- Lathyrus odoratus 'Noel Sutton': Appearing on long stems, the rich, purple-blue flowers of 'Noel Sutton' look wonderful when allowed to mingle with plum, lilac and cerise. Appearing continuously throughout the summer (if deadheaded regularly), these much-loved, scented flowers are an essential ingredient in the cottage garden, but in smaller spaces, you can also grow them in large pots on the terrace or balcony. Grows to 1.8m.
- Lathyrus odoratus 'Winston Churchill': Dark crimson red, wavy-edged, velvety blooms with superb scent smother this nitrogen-fixing annual from June to August. Lathyrus odoratus is a Spencer-type sweet pea, perfect for training up an obelisk or trellis in the garden. The large flowers, carried on strong stems of a good length, are well-suited for cutting. Grows to 1.8m.
Flowering period:
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Position:
Full sun
Rate of growth:
Fast-growing
Soil:
Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, or peat-free general purpose compost
Hardiness:
Frost tender
-
Humans/Pets: Pods and seeds are not edible
