Lathyrus odoratus 'Matucana'
spencer sweet pea seed Matucana
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
- Flowering period: June to September
- Flower colour: deep purple and red
- Other features: very highly scented flowers
- Hardiness: hardy annual
Masses of highly fragrant, bi-coloured blooms appear from July to September adding colour and sweet perfume to the garden. This old-fashioned variety is renowned for its deliciously scented and very beautiful flowers. It was first introduced to Britain in 1700, and it's perfect for training over a wigwam of bamboo canes in a sunny, well-drained site.
In our (not very scientific) sweet pea trial on the nursery, we found that this variety had loads of very beautiful lilac and mauve flowers in August, but these appeared on short (around 6") stems, so it was not the best for cutting. They did have a very nice scent though.
All the sweet-peas in our trial produced significantly better plants when the seeds were sown in autumn rather than spring. - Garden care:From October to late February, sow seeds into deep pots or root trainers filled with a good-quality seed compost and place them in a cold frame. Pinch out the tips as the plants grow to encourage them to become bushier and produce more flowers, and harden off before planting out in early April. Direct sowings can also be made in October or March-April. It is important to remove the faded flowers before they set seed, so picking them to fill a vase inside will only encourage more to form.
- Sow: October-April
- Flowering: June-September
- Approximate quantity: 20 seeds.
Lathyrus odoratus 'Midnight'
spencer sweet pea seed Midnight
Strong colour and a sweet perfume
Lathyrus odoratus 'Windsor'
spencer sweet pea seed Windsor
Opulent and lush
Lathyrus odoratus 'Percy Thrower'
spencer sweet pea seed Percy Thrower
Exquisite pink-flushed blooms
Slim multi-purpose soft-tie
Slim multi-purpose soft-tie
Tie is designed for use with the thinner, delicate stems of climbing annuals
Lathyrus odoratus 'Pluto'
spencer sweet pea seed Pluto
Strong and vibrant colour
Willow poles
Willow poles
Ideal for runner beans and sweet peas
Root trainers
Root trainers
Perfect for seeds, seedlings and plugs
How to get more flowers
Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has...
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Deadheading will prevent them setting seed and so use their energy producing a further flush of blooms later on. Plants that respond well to deadheading include annuals such as Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, foxglove, Californian poppy, sweet...
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