Lathyrus odoratus Painted Lady - Sweet Pea Seeds

‘Painted Lady’ is a very popular heirloom variety created in 1737. The flowers, though quite small in size (2 to 3 cm) are abundant and have an exquisite fragrance. The pink and white bicolour blooms grow on long voluble stems (from 1.80 to 2 m in height for 30 cm in width). Flowers will look great in bouquets. This popular variety vigorously covers up its support in no time and is beautiful when used as a ground cover. In hanging baskets, the plants will romantically cascade down in vibrant garlands. Flowering takes places from June to September. 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. It can reach 1.80 m to 2.50 m in height and 30 cm in width in the space of a few months. Its quadrangular winged stems have stipules at their base, bear pairs of light-green leaflets and end in a terminal tendril. Flowering takes place from May to October depending on the variety. The papilionaceous flowers are grouped in axillary clusters. The flowers are composed of 5 petals: a standard, 2 free wing petals, and 2 fused petals. They give off a delightful 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.