Lathyrus odoratus Elegant Ladies - Sweet Pea Seeds

This selection brings together heirloom sweet pea varieties, some dating back to the 16th century. The 'Elegant Ladies' are all annual varieties, with beautifully perfumed flowers in elegant and refined pastel tones. These vigorous vines climb up any support in no time and are magnificent when used as a ground cover. In hanging baskets, they will romantically cascade down in colourful garlands. Grow in a sunny location in fertile, moist soil.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family originating from south-eastern Italy and Sicily. ‘Elegant Ladies’ is a selection of climbing varieties that can reach up to 1.80 m in height and 30 cm in width in the space of a few months. Their quadrangular winged stems have stipules at their base, bear pairs of light-green leaflets and end in a terminal tendril. Flowering takes place from June to August. The papilionaceous flowers are medium-sized and grouped in axillary clusters of gently wavy blooms. The flowers are composed of 5 petals: a standard, 2 free wing petals, and 2 fused petals. Their beautiful pastel colours range from white to pink, blue or lilac, and the flowers are often bicoloured. They give off an intense fragrance, which has a sweet floral aroma with honeyed and musky notes. The fruit is a flat pod that splits at maturity, forcibly expelling its seeds away from the plant. It is essential to regularly remove wilted flowers, as seed production stunts flowering. Sweet peas root deeply in the ground to find water and nutrients.

Sweet peas are irreplaceable, their charming and old-fashioned flowers make quaint bouquets, look stunning in hanging baskets will soon cover up an old garden wall or fence. They are beautiful in summer flower beds, where they will use neighbouring plants or shrubs as a support. They can also form colourful carpets when grown as ground cover. Sweet peas are a must-have in cottage gardens alongside peonies, hollyhocks, fox gloves, peach leaved bellflowers, and columbines. They also do well in the fertile and well-watered soil of the vegetable garden, where they can be used as cut flowers.