We love Sweet Peas but they are a bit of a bother. Because they are annuals we need to sow seed each year, find a suitable place to plant them, feed them and train them up suitable netting. By late summer they’re looking tired and are giving up the ghost so we pull them up and start the cycle all over again next spring.
But there is an easier way to enjoy the beauty and heady scent of Sweet Peas. Introducing the Everlasting, or Perennial Sweet Pea. Plant once and enjoy for years!
Traditionally, garden centres have offered Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’, which is a real stunner, but we are pleased to be able to offer some different, rarely offered Everlasting Peas.
They all have the advantage of being vigorous growers and will be happy climbing up a trellis or through a shrub - they are ideal for enlivening spring-flowering shrubs which look a bit dull for the rest of the summer.
As with all hardy perennials, now is a perfect time to plant them. The soil is still warm from the summer and they will spend the winter establishing a root system so they can really take off in the spring.
We currently have the following perennial Sweet Peas for sale:
Lathyrus chilensis:
A rare pea found along forest edges in Chile. Long stemmed sprays of large, delicate, pale icing pink flowers, excellent for cutting, from spring to late summer.
Lathyrus latifolius 'Rosa Perle':
Looks stunning when flowering. Masses of large, pearly-pink, sweet pea flowers adorn this short climber.
Lathyrus sylvestris:
This perennial British native sweet pea is now rather rare. Known as the Wood Pea, it throws out enormous numbers of flesh pink flowers on strong stems, being even more vigorous and floriferous than Lathyrus latifolius.