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Sweet peas are a beloved flower in cottage gardens and are perfect for cutting, creating a sense of nostalgia, learning how to grow sweet peas is easy. The delightful scent of just a handful of sweet peas can fill an entire room. Growing sweet peas is a breeze, and I personally enjoy sowing a few seeds throughout the year to ensure a continuous supply.
While sweet peas may not be commonly found at florists due to their short vase life, as a home grower, there is nothing more enchanting than a simple jar of sweet peas adorning your bedside table, spreading their delightful fragrance throughout the room.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have a perennial sweet pea that comes back year after year in the same spot. It looks absolutely stunning as it romps over a magnolia tree, although it does not have any fragrance, which is quite disappointing.
What are sweet peas
Sweet peas are such a lovely addition to any garden, known for their gorgeous blooms and enchanting fragrance. Belonging to the Lathyrus odoratus genus, or pea family, sweet peas are a type of climbing hardy annual (or perennial) flower that can reach an average height of 1.8 to 2.4 m. These charming flowers come in various colours, including shades of pink, purple, and white. There’s truly a shade and a fragrance to suit everyone.
Three questions. Two minutes. A flower list chosen for your actual garden, not some idealised one.
Let’s find your flowers.
When it comes to growing sweet peas, they thrive in cool weather conditions, which makes them perfect for planting in spring or fall. They prefer a sunny spot with well-drained soil and benefit from the support of trellises or fences to climb upon.
Sweet peas are relatively easy to grow, making them a favourite among both experienced and novice gardeners. If you can grow peas, then you can definitely grow sweet peas, although their pods and seeds are not edible.
With their vibrant colours and captivating fragrance, sweet peas are an absolute must-have for any flower enthusiast. In this guide, we will explore the steps to successfully grow sweet peas and create a picturesque display of these charming flowers in your very own garden.
There is such a love of sweet peas that there is even a sweet pea society, where you may be able to source some heritage varieties.
How to grow sweet peas:
- Seed can be sown in pots in the autumn, overwintered in a sheltered spot, and planted out in spring. Or sow seed 10 to 12 weeks before last frost and transplant out right around last frost.
- Harden off indoor grown seedlings for about 10 days to prevent shock.
- Pinch out shoot tips of young spring-sown sweet peas when plants reach about 7.5-10cm (3-4in) to encourage it to produce side-shoots, forming a bushier, well-shaped plant that will bear more flowers.
- Seedlings may grow weak and leggy, which is caused by insufficient light and excess warmth. If this occurs, move seedlings to a cooler and brighter spot
- Space plants 20-30cm (8in-1ft) apart, although I tend to group a couple together in a pot and plant out like that. I like to always plant one seed for me and one for the mice. Hopefully that way, I don’t loose all of the plants.
- Provide a strong trellis or support for vines to climb.
- Deadhead regularly to keep flower production going.
Sweet Pea Plant Details:
- Plant type: hardy annual/perennial
- Height: 6-8ft
- Site: full sun
- Sowing depth: 25mm
- Germination: 7-21 days
- Temperature: 20-25°C
- Days to maturity: 75-90 days
- Plant spacing: 15cm
- Pinch: when 7cm tall
- Staking: yes, grow with support
- Drying: no
- Approx seeds per packet: 30
Please note we pack the majority of our seeds by weight so the number of seeds indicated is only an approximation.
Currently, I sell our seeds, and other bits and bobs, through Etsy, so the link below will direct you there.
Harvesting / Vase Life Details:
- Harvest when there are at least 2 unopened flowers at the tip of a stem.
- They have a short a vase life of 4 to 5 days, but for those days they are glorious.
Preparing your sweet peas to show
If you’re interested in entering your lovely sweet peas into a local show, or if you simply want to maximize the size of the blooms for cutting, just choose the strongest shoot and keep pinching out any tendrils and side shoots as they grow. This technique helps the plant focus its energy on producing beautiful blooms. These single-stemmed plants are commonly known as ‘cordons’.
Remember to regularly tie the stem to a tall stake or bamboo cane, with one stem per cane. You can use string looped around the cane and stem in a figure of eight to hold the shoot in place as it grows. If you prefer, you can also use sweet pea rings, which are wire loops that go around the stem and cane and gently press against them for support.
It’s worth mentioning that cordons have the potential to grow much taller than the usual expected height of 2m (6½ft).
Sweet peas are such a joy to grow, why not teach your children how to grow sweet peas, its something they can easily get involved with.
A quick aside: I built a little app for flower growers who want gentle reminders about what to do and when - without it turning into another thing to feel guilty about. It's called the Flower Grower Companion. You tell it your location and your flowers, it tells you what actually needs doing this week (and just as importantly, when there's nothing to do at all)
Have a look
