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Welcome to Just Sweet Peas
Popular Sweet Peas
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- The city of Malmö to get the sweet pea treatment (2011-03-19)
- Catalogue update (2011-03-12)
- Growing Sweet Peas for Fragrance (2011-02-26)
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”, they are likely to remain at the heart of every English country garden.
A native of the island of Sicily, sweet peas were first mentioned in 1695 when Francisco Cupani, a monk with The Order of St Francis, noted seeing them growing in the gardens under his care in Misilmeri, not far from Palermo. Cupani sent seeds from these early specimins to Holland and England where they were cultivated in numerous gardens.
The sweet pea is a member of the Lathyrus species, but is unlike most of its cousins, posesses an intoxicating fragrance. Carl Linnæus dubbed the sweetpea odoratus - giving the it 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”, “grandiflora” or “old fashioned” sweetpeas.
Many seedsmen thought that sweet peas had reached the limits of their development during the lifetime of Henry Eckford. Then a new type appeared; the waved or Spencer type. 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 stock, many simply cherish it for its very special beauty.
Trivia: sweet peas are known around Europe as “Pronkerwt” (NL), “Pois de Senteur” (F), “Luktärt” (S)
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