Lathyrus odoratus 'Oxford Blue'

spencer sweet pea seed Oxford Blue

• Position: full sun
• Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
• Flowering period: June to September
• Flower colour: purple-blue
• Other features: well scented flowers
• Hardiness: hardy annual
  
  The colour of these fragrant blue blooms intensifies as they age, providing a very pretty contrast to the greyish-green leaves. Sweet peas are a cottage garden favourite and look wonderful when allowed to scramble over a wigwam of brushwood where they will get sun for the best part of the day.
  
  In our (not very scientific) sweet pea trial on the nursery, we found that the flowers of this variety had a slight fragrance and were held on 6 - 8" stems. There were not too many left in August 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. 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-February or April
  
  
• Flowering: June-September
  
  
• Approximate quantity: 20 seeds.