Welcome to sweet-peas.com
It is now possible to browse and purchase the widest variety of sweet pea seeds at the very best prices.
A. Sheriff
On behalf of Just Sweet Peas Ltd
Popular Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas - An Introduction
Of all the flowers in the garden, none can eclipse the beauty, variety, scent and charm of sweet peas. Few annuals, if any, are more popular. Known by many as “The Queen of Annuals”, sweet peas are likely to remain at the heart of every English country garden.
A native of the island of Scicily, sweet peas were first mentioned in 1695 when Francisco Cupani, a monk with The Order of St Francis, noted seeing sweet peas growing in the gardens under his care in Misilmeri, not far from Palermo. Cupani sent sweet pea seeds from these early specimins to Holland and England where the seeds were cultivated in numerous gardens.
The sweet pea is a member of the Lathyrus species, but is unlike most of its cousins, posesses the intoxicating sweet pea fragrance. Carl Linnæus dubbed the sweet pea odoratus - giving the sweet pea its full scientific name Lathyrus odoratus. Linnæus' botanical abbreviation is L. giving rise to the often used naming convention L. odoratus.
Things changed little for sweet peas over the next century or so. From the original variety with its purple standard and sky-blue wings, several other colour combinations were developed. First, one with white flowers, then one with pink and white, until in 1860 there were nine known varieties.
It was the arrival of Henry Eckford in about 1878 that was to change the nature of sweet peas forever. By the time of his death in 1905, there were over three hundred recorded varieties, most of which owed their origin to Mr. Eckford. These varieties have become variously known as “heirloom sweet peas”, “grandiflora sweet peas” or “old fashioned sweet peas”.
Many seedsmen thought that sweet peas had reached the limits of their development during the lifetime of Henry Eckford. Then a new type of sweet pea appeared; the waved or Spencer sweet pea. Countess Spencer was the first in 1904. Since that time, the popularity of, and interest in raising sweet peas has boomed. Many enthusiasts strive to create new varieties from seeds harvested from their own sweet pea stock, many simply cherish it for its very special beauty.
Please enjoy this web site. Its aim is to make sweet peas as accessible as possible, and to provide a safe and convenient way to purchase the widest selection of sweet pea seeds that we can economically supply.
Trivia: sweet peas are known around Europe as “Pronkerwt” (NL), “Pois de Senteur” (F), “Luktärt” (S), “Duft-Platterbse” (D), “Groszek pachnący” (PL), Kvapusis pelėžirnis (LT)
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