Lathyrus odoratus Spring Sunshine White Seeds - Sweet Pea

The Sweet Pea or Lathyrus odoratus Spring Sunshine White is part of a series that offers early and heat-resistant varieties, suitable for Mediterranean climates. It is not recommended in the north, as it requires a warmer climate, but it also thrives in pots, greenhouses, or conservatories. The flowers are fragrant, the plants are vigorous and very floriferous. They make excellent cut flowers. This annual climbing plant produces large white flowers on long stems that naturally cling to the support you provide with their tendrils.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant from the fabaceae family, native to southeastern Italy and Sicily. The Spring Sunshine White variety stands out for its high-performance and very early flowering. It can reach 2m in height and 40cm in width in just 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-like flowers are large, grouped in axillary clusters, bright white, with slightly wavy petals. They consist of 5 petals, with the upper one, 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 deep enough in the soil to draw water and nutrients.

Sweet peas thrive in warm and sunny locations, in well-drained, even rocky soils. Their touching and old-fashioned flowering brings charm to bouquets, hanging baskets, and any support they will cover in one season. They are just as 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 mixing 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.