The Joy of Growing Nostalgic Sweet Peas

The very mention of the name sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) summons romance and the memories made in your grandmother’s flower garden. Vintage in appearance and highly scented in smell, sweet peas are one of the easiest and most productive annual flowers to grow.

Preferring and conducive to cooler temperatures, this nostalgic favorite can be directly sown into soil as soon as ground can be worked. They prefer a deep, rich, preferably loamy sand soil (with ample amounts of compost), and good drainage. It will speed up germination if you soak your seeds in warm water for a few hours before planting at a depth of between ½” to 1”. Sweet peas need a bit of darkness to sprout. Expect germination within 10-21 days if soil temperatures remain 50-60° F. Sweet peas need roughly 50 days of cooler temps under 60 degrees to have a continual bloom. In the Intermountain West, these cooler days coupled with copious amounts of mulch will ensure prolific flowering all the way into the warmer season of summer. Heirloom Spencer and Grandiflora sweet peas are two highly prized varieties. Both are highly scented and will grow 3-5’ tall.

Sweet peas are a wistful and vigorous growing, climbing, and vining flower, using tendrils to wind around tall supports. Because of this, they need a trellis or other support system for climbing. Think lattice work, homemade twig obelisk, a tall woven arbor made from willow, a hand-hewn split rail fence, or any other vertical supports that your grandmother might have worked with in her garden. The more old-fashioned, creative, and clever, the better!  Also, once your plants are 6-8” tall, pinch off the top 1”, which will force the stems outward and stimulate growth, which will produce even more branches, tendrils, and flowers.

Sweet peas are very sentimental and have proven year after year to be a favorite for home gardeners, cut flower farms, and florists. Plant some in your early spring garden and they will soon be a favorite of yours. What a wonderful way to start making sweetly-scented, old-fashioned, and long-lasting, garden memories for your loved ones!