Lathyrus odoratus Spring Sunshine Lilac Seeds - Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea or Lathyrus odoratus Spring Sunshine Lilac offers large, fragrant flowers in a soft, uniform lilac-mauve. The Spring Sunshine series offers early and heat-resistant varieties, suitable for Mediterranean climates and for pot cultivation in greenhouses or conservatories. The plants are vigorous and highly floriferous, making excellent cut flowers. With rapid growth, the sturdy stems develop tendrils that will cling to the support you provide.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae family, native to southeastern Italy and Sicily. The Spring Sunshine Lilac variety stands out for its high-end performance and very early flowering. It can reach 2m in height and 40cm in width within a few months. Its light green leaves are paired on quadrangular stems, with stipules at the base and extended into tendrils. Flowering occurs between April and June. The butterfly flowers are large, grouped in axillary clusters, with a soft lilac colour and slightly wavy petals. They consist of 5 petals, with the uppermost, also the largest, taking the form of a banner, while the others have an intermediate shape between the lip and the tube. They emit a delicate fragrance, with a sweet floral aroma and hints of honey and musk, very feminine. The fruit is a flat pod that twists and expels its seeds to a distance. It is essential to remove faded flowers, as seed production immediately stops flowering. Sweet peas root deeply in the soil to draw water and nutrients.

Sweet peas thrive in warm and sunny locations, in well-drained, even rocky soils. Their charming and nostalgic flowering adds a lot of charm to bouquets, hanging baskets, and any support they can cover in one season. They are equally charming wandering in flower beds, using neighbouring plants or shrubs as support. Pair them with coreopsis, echinaceas, gauras, and annuals like poppies or cosmos. They can also create beautiful carpets by combining the colours of several varieties. They are essential in cottage gardens and also thrive in the fertile, well-watered soil of vegetable gardens or cutting gardens, where they provide a good supply of cut flowers.