Garden Plants

My top 7 sweet peas

By Peter Seabrook

'I always make room for sweet peas in my garden', says longstanding broadcaster, gardener and journalist Peter Seabrook

Peter Seabrook presents sweet pea 'Camilla' to the Duchess of Cornwall at BBC Gardeners' World Live: he grows this traditional variety (not currently available) in his garden

'The sweet pea plant itself is an annual climber (it only flowers for one season, then you have to start again the following summer), with curious flat ‘wings’ on the stems.'

I always make room for sweet peas in my garden, growing them up canes as cordons to keep them in perfect condition. I like to experiment with the new introductions, but I still grow some old favourites as well. These are my top seven varieties:

Sweet pea 'Noel Sutton'

1 Noel Sutton was introduced almost 40 years ago and is a well-established, very popular variety with large, deep-blue flowers. It is reputed to have the strongest fragrance of any sweet pea. Excellent for cut flowers, it grows well in the garden and is one of the most frequently exhibited sweet peas ever.
2 ‘Gwendoline’ is a beautiful sweet pea with large flowers in shades of sugar-mouse pink. It is very heavily scented, and is a vigorous grower with strong stems. A great choice for the garden or show bench.
3 ‘Charlie's Angel’ ‘Charlie’s Angel’ has large, clear pale blue blooms with a sweet fragrance. It is very good for cutting and for exhibition.
4 ‘Mrs Bernard Jones’ is a long-established, soft pink sweet pea.
A reliable performer with large blooms, it makes a good cut flower.
5 ‘Royal Wedding’ has showy white flowers that open from creamy yellow buds. They are held on long stems and are sweetly scented.
6 ‘Champagne Bubbles’ flowers are a unique colour: soft lemony cream flushed with amber that deepens after cutting.
7 ‘Windsor’ produces striking, deep maroon flowers that are well-scented and ideal for cutting.

Some sweet pea history

Our love affair with this plant dates back a long way. The first record of the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) came from Sicily in 1695, where it was described by Franciscus Cupani, a monk in charge of the botanical garden at Misilmeri. The first sweet pea plants were sold in 1724 and the very first recorded cultivar, ‘Painted Lady’, in 1731.

‘Scarlet Invincible’ was the first sweet pea to receive an RHS award, in 1867, by which time breeders on both sides of the Atlantic were keenly trying to develop new varieties.

In 1900, the National Sweet Pea Society was formed and in 1901 the first of the Spencer varieties was exhibited. Named ‘Countess Spencer’, it was developed at Althrop, the seat of the Earl Spencer (and ancestral home of Princess Diana), and was a chance seedling that produced a more vigorous plant than usual with much larger, frilled blooms. It led to a new generation of plants with colours ranging from pure white to every shade of pink, orange, red (light to almost black) and purple (from pale lavender to deep, royal shades).

Annual climber

Pre-chit seeds by placing them on damp paper

The sweet pea plant itself is an annual climber (it only flowers for one season, then you have to start again the following summer) with curious flat ‘wings’ on the stems. From summer until early autumn, it produces tall flowering stems with lots of blooms. It climbs by means of twining tendrils – make sure the plant is supported in addition as the energy saved is diverted into producing bigger flowers. Some tendril-free varieties are available.

Growing tips

In order to grow well, sweet peas need a fertile, humus-rich soil that is well-drained, and full sun or light shade. For the very best results, in September dig a trench and put plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost in the base before you sow the seeds. Cover with a cloche in winter. This will enable them to survive periods of lower rainfall and if we get a dry summer.

In the United States, where sweet peas also became a craze in the 1880s, breeding emphasis has been on creating plants that will survive intense summer heat, and varieties that grow to flowering quickly so they mature in the short period between thaw and summer. These tolerant varieties may become more popular here as our summers become increasingly warmer.

Growing from seed

Cover seeds with a layer of compost

Early autumn is the time to get sweet peas going for next year, and don’t be put off by anyone who says they can’t get the seed to germinate.

Simply ‘pre-chit’ the seeds by spacing them out evenly on layers of damp kitchen paper in the warm, so they start to germinate and produce a small shoot. Then sow into pots of compost, cover with a thin layer of compost, and keep moist. Once the plants reach 8cm (3in) high, pinch out the growing tips to make the side shoots grow.

Sweet peas are tougher than you realise, so do this now and grow them under protection in a cold frame or cloche over winter to get strong, multi-stemmed plants. This will give you an earlier start next year, ensuring flowers for a longer period during summer.

Growing for showing

Grow show blooms as single stems, cordons, or up canes or rustic poles. This way you can easily remove tendrils and side shoots and increase the airflow, which will prevent mildew taking hold. For pure enjoyment in the garden, grow them against a fence, on a wire or up a wigwam made of willow canes.

Peter with new Verbena 'Seabrook's Lavender'

Verbena 'Seabrook's Lavender'

Verbenas are another of Peter’s favourite plants, and Verbena ‘Seabrook’s Lavender’ (above) is a new variety discovered by Peter in his Essex garden. It is an easy-to-grow and reliable perennial perfect for a bed, border or container, and its lilac-like fragrance can be enjoyed from late May through to Christmas.

*Main photograph taken by royal photographer Arthur Edwards.

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