These climbing plants come in a wide array of colors, making them an irresistible choice for bouquets and arrangements.

What Are Sweet Peas?

Sweet peas are fragrant flowering plants known for their beautiful pastel and bicolor petals. Historians credit Francis Cupani, a monk from Sicily, as the originator of sweet peas in 1699, but famed horticulturist, Henry Eckford, popularized the plants in the late 1800s. Selecting for only the most pleasing cultivars, Eckford created a breed of plant that is now known the world over for its impressive display of color and sweet aroma.

Types of Sweet Peas

While the most common variety of sweet pea is an annual (Lathyrus odoratus), they also come in perennial varieties (Lathyrus latifolius).

1. Annual sweet peas: Annual sweet peas complete their entire life cycle in one growing season. Like other annual crops, they germinate, grow, produce seeds, and die within the course of a year. If you want to grow them again, you'll need to replant new plants in your garden the following year. Most sweet pea varieties are annuals.
2. Perennial sweet peas: Perennial sweet peas come back year after year. You do not need to replant them after the growing season ends, and they will continue to grow for a longer period of time. Perennial sweet pea varieties may be easier to grow, but there are fewer to choose from and they tend to lack that classic sweet pea fragrance.

How to Plant Sweet Peas

Sweet peas are fairly hardy plants that grow abundantly—so long as you set them up for success.

1. Determine your hardiness zone. Despite their delicate appearance, sweet peas are surprisingly hardy. They prefer cooler conditions and thrive when planted in soil temperatures between 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. When planted in hardiness zones 7 to 10, sweet pea seeds can be sown in the fall. In zones 6 and below, it's best to sow your seeds in late winter or early spring for an early-summer harvest.
2. Choose the site. Sweet peas prefer areas that get full sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Their leaves love the light, but afternoon shade helps keep their roots cool and moist.
3. Prepare the soil. Plant your sweet peas in well-draining, alkaline soil that is rich in organic matter. If your soil tends to be on the acidic side, sprinkle lime on the soil's surface. Sweet peas require a soil rich in nutrients and thrive in soil with a mixture of compost and manure.

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