Sweet Peas
We are one of the very few nurseries in the UK to supply autumn sown sweet pea plants by mail order. Our plants are grown in the traditional manner and the quality is on par with the top exhibition growers.This year we list 24 named varieties of Spencer and Old Fashioned Sweet Peas. Our customers come from far and wide, from Scotland to the Channel Islands, from Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
Our Mail Order Catalogue 2009
Cultivation Advice
Sweet Pea Links
Our sweet peas: their life in pictures
Why Sow Sweet Peas in the Autumn?
Sweet peas sown in the autumn start to flower up to a month earlier than spring sown plants, generally in late May or early June. With the right care they will continue to flower throughout the summer, giving an almost endless supply of cut flowers. Having developed slowly over the winter, they benefit from much stronger root systems and begin the season with a head start.
A Brief History of the Sweet Pea
It is believed that sweet peas were first introduced into Britain in 1699, when a Sicilian monk sent seeds to a Dr. Uvedale in Enfield. To modern day standards the flowers would have been fairly insignificant to look at - one or two small blooms on a slender stem (not unlike the flower on a vegetable pea) in just one colour (maroon with bluish purple leaves). The species redeeming feature was its scent, which presumably lead to its popular name "the sweet pea". Seed was offered for commercial sale from 1730 and by the end of the century five different colours were available, probably resulting from spontaneous mutations from the original.
During the 1800's the sweet pea became established as a popular garden plant and various plantsmen experimented with cross pollination and introduced new varieties. However, it was the work of a Scotsman, Henry Eckford, living in Wem, Shropshire who secured the future of the sweetpea . By skillful crossbreeding he produced many new varieties, in new colours, with improved flower size and length of stem. These varieties produced by Eckford are the "grandiflora" or "old-fashioned" sweet peas that are returning to popularity today.
Todays modern varieties, the Spencer Sweet peas are all descended from a chance discovery made in 1901 by the gardener at Althorp Park, estate of Earl Spencer. Amongst a row of an Eckford variety "Prima Donna" he noticed one remarkably different plant with large frilled flowers. He allowed the plant to set seed and the following year selected out those plants which retained the new form. The result - the first Spencer sweet pea "Countess Spencer".
Spencer Sweet Peas
Spencer sweet peas are the first choice for exhibitors. They come in a wide range of colours and have large flowers with four to five blooms to a stem. New varieties are introduced every year, usually bred by keen amateurs. Some of these new varieties quickly establish themselves as show winners but all will give a wonderful display in any garden. Traditionalists often complain that modern breeding has resulted in sweet peas with no scent. This is not entirely true. Many of the Spencer sweet peas are wonderfully fragrant but its a question of choosing the right varieties. Most seed catalogues and our mail order list give a scent rating for each variety. However, as a general rule lighter coloured varieties are better scented than the strong colours.
Grandiflora Sweet Peas
The "grandiflora" or "old fashioned" sweet peas have come back into popularity in recent years. The flowers are smaller and less frilly than the Spencers but all varieties are beautifully fragrant. Their dainty flower form and their delightful scent makes them perfect for table decorations and small arrangements.