Lathyrus Odoratus Sweet Pea Annual Climbing Plant
SWEET PEA
Sweet peas have lovely flowers and a delightful fragrance, hence their name. The fact that they really are peas is something you notice as soon as the spherical seeds roll out of the packet. Sow them directly in the garden in mid-April. Plant the seeds at the depth of about half a little finger. Be sure to enrich the spot where they are to flower with stable manure or other plant food, because sweet peas love that. As they climb, most sweet peas use their tendrils to hold on to any support they can find. They usually grow over 6 ft tall and may completely cover a wire-netting fence with flowers. Fix threads for them to climb up against wooden fences and walls. There are also low-growing cultivars which creep along the ground, or remain short, and do not need any support.
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete.
It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1-2 m where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, this twining round supporting plants to help it climb. The flowers are purple, 2-3.5 cm broad, in the wild plant, larger and very variable in colour in the many cultivars. Unlike most peas, the seeds of the sweet pea are poisonous as they contain a neurotoxin, and should not be eaten. The illness caused by the ingestion of sweet peas is known as odoratism, or sweet pea lathyrism.
Plants sown outdoors in April will flower from the end of April and, in ideal circumstances, will go on flowering until September, in poor, dry soil or shady conditions, they will not flower for so long and may also fall victim to mildew. Picking the flowers will extend their flowering season. The stems are only about 8 in long, so that they make small bouquets. But oh, that scent! Sweet peas are among the loveliest bouquets you can give anyone.
The seed is usually provided in colorful mixtures, including that of Lathyrus odoratus ‘Bouquet,’ which grows to hip level without any support. It is similar in type to the Spencer Series and very suitable for cutting. Anyone gardening according to color will be interested in selected varieties with a clearly defined color. It remains to be seen, though, whether the plants will actually bear flowers in the color shown on the packet. Seed that you have harvested yourself is reasonably germinative, but the results are even less predictable. Bees and bumblebees are greatly attracted to the flowers and ensure cross-pollination.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Matucana’ is a genuinely antique variety, and was cultivated in Italy before 1700. The blue and purple flowers are relatively small but their is wonderful! Lathyrus odoratus ‘Spencer Lilac’ belongs yo the famous Spencer Series that was developed around 1900 and still stands out because of its large flowers, soft colors and vigorous growth.
Sweet peas have been cultivated since the 17th century and a vast number of cultivars are commercially available. They are often grown by gardeners for their bright colours and the sweet fragrance that gives them their name.
