Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
📖 About this plant
The quintessential cottage garden vine, cherished for its intoxicatingly fragrant, ruffled flowers in a rainbow of colors including pink, purple, red, white, and bicolors. A cool-season annual that thrives in spring and early summer, producing masses of long-stemmed flowers perfect for cutting. The sweet, honey-like fragrance has made it one of the most beloved flowers for centuries. Regular picking encourages more blooms.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (50-65%)
10-20°C
Rich, well-draining soil with plenty of compost; pH 6.5-7.5; add lime if soil is acidic
Low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer (5-10-5) every 3-4 weeks; too much nitrogen promotes foliage over flowers
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Mediterranean region — Sicily, southern Italy, Crete
- 📏 Max height
- 100-250 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 100-200 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring - Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pink, Purple, Red, White
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Annual
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Seeds contain Lathyrus toxin — toxic if eaten in large quantities over time; flowers and vines are not considered toxic
- 🌱 Propagation
- Direct seed sowing in early spring; soak seeds overnight or nick before planting; can start indoors in peat pots
🛡️ Health & Safety
Seeds contain Lathyrus toxin — toxic if eaten in large quantities over time; flowers and vines are not considered toxic
Common issues
- Heat causes flowering to stop — best in cool seasons
- Powdery mildew is very common
- Aphids on new growth and flower buds
💡 Care tips
- Delicate ruffled flowers with an incredible sweet fragrance
- Cool-season annual that fades in summer heat
- Provide a trellis or netting for tendrils to climb
- Deadhead regularly to extend the flowering period
