Lathyrus odoratus 'Noel Sutton'
spencer sweet pea seed Noel Sutton
approx 20 seeds
available to order from midsummer
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: hardy annual
Rich blue-purple flowers, which look wonderful when allowed to mingle with plum, lilac and cerise, appear continuously throughout the summer if you deadhead regularly. These much-loved, scented flowers are an essential ingredient in the cottage garden, but in smaller spaces, you can grow them in big pots.
In our (not very scientific) sweet pea trial on the nursery, we found that the flowers of this variety had a bathroom-freshener 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-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
- Humans/Pets: Pods and seeds are not edible
