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How to Grow and Care for Sweet Pea Plants
Lathyrus odoratus
          
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The Sweet Pea has long been a favorite of gardeners because of the wonderful fragrance
of the clusters of two inch, bright blue, pink, purple, red or white flowers.
Sweet Peas grow and bloom best in cool, mild climates.
They make great cut flowers for your home!
Growing Requirements for Sweet Peas
The Sweet Pea, Lathyrus odoratus, is usually considered to be a vining plant that easily climbs to a height of six to ten feet,
but there are also varieties of Sweet Peas that are more bush-like and only grow to a height of 30 inches.
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Sweet Pea plants should be grown in rich, moist, slightly alkaline soil.
Sweet Peas require regular watering during the summer months or they will quickly fade away.
A heavy application of mulch will help keep the roots cool and moist,
and allow it's cultivation in warmer regions.
Remove the old blossoms promptly as they fade,
to keep your Sweet Peas blooming until the first frosts of Fall.
Cutting the plant back will stimulate new growth and flowering.
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Growing Sweet Peas from Seed
Sweet Peas can be grown from seeds which germinate and begin to grow rapidly in 10-14 days.
For the best results and quickest germination, soak your Sweet Pea seeds for 24 hours in room temperature water before sowing them directly into a sunny area of your garden in late March.
In zones 8-10, the seeds should be planted in late fall.
Plant the seeds two inches deep and three inches apart.
Thin out the seedlings to six inches apart when they are three to four inches high.
The vining types of Sweet Peas will need the support of a trellis, netting or fence on which to climb. |
Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
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