Sweet Peas have been a favorite flower of mine since I was a kid, but growing up in New York and living in Pennsylvania much of my adult life, I found Sweet Pea growing to be a real challenge. Long, cold winters allowed them to be planted not until early April and by the time they started to flower, the hot, humid weather of an east coast summer usually put an early end to their growth and flowering.
I moved to southern California ten years ago and found to my delight that the climate here with long, mild winters and springs, to be ideal for growing Sweet Peas. Indeed, Sweet Peas grown for seed production became an important commercial crop in California in the early 1900’s where there were several hundred acres devoted to their production around Lompoc near Santa Barbara, because of the favorable climate.
Our modern Sweet Pea has its origins in Sicily where the first one, which had small bi-color purple flowers, was described by the monk, Franciscus Cupani in 1695. Over the next 200 years, natural mutations led to a wide range of colors. A real breakthrough occurred in England in 1901 when the head gardener to the Earl of Spencer showed a bowl of Sweet Peas that had exceptionally large, frilly pink flowers. He named it ‘Countess Spencer’ and ever since then, Sweet Peas with large, frilly flowers have been known as Spencer type.
I have been growing and trialing Sweet Peas annually since moving to California and plant about 40 varieties every year. Although there is a good selection of seed available from U.S. seed companies, I mail order my seed from England where much of the breeding currently occurs. I like to try new varieties but have several favorites that end up in the garden every year. Among these are ‘Just Julia’, a mid-blue; ‘Gwendoline’, a deep pink; ‘Judith Wilkinson’ with intense carmine red flowers; ‘Sir Jimmy Shand’ which is striped and edged with lilac; pink edged ‘Anniversary’; and ‘White Frills’ which is pure white.
I usually sow my seed in late September to get an early start, but seed can be sown as late as February if you live near the coast. I like to start my seed in cell packs similar to the ones in which you buy annuals at garden centers, using a good potting soil. An alternative is to buy plants. The six varieties mentioned above, as well as fourteen other varieties are available as plants, custom grown for Roger’s Gardens in 4” pots and are available through mid-March. I transplant the small plants into the garden after I have mixed a good soil amendment, such as Harvest Supreme, and an organic fertilizer into the soil.
Well grown Sweet Peas can reach a height of six to eight feet and need good support on which they can climb by their tendrils. I have about seventy feet of chain link fence which is ideal. Others I grow in large pots and use seven or eight foot bamboo poles with their twiggy side branches, which I cut from my garden. A good alternative is tall tomato cages. There are dwarf varieties which need little or no support.
I usually start cutting flowers of early varieties, such as the ‘Winter Sunshine’ or ‘Winter Elegance’ series in early January. Standard Spencer type Sweet Peas normally start blooming for me in early to mid-March. Both types normally continue to bloom until about early May in my Tustin garden, but will bloom into early summer if you live near the cooler coast. Be sure to cut Sweet Peas frequently so their fragrant flowers may be enjoyed inside the home. This also keeps them from going to seed which will extend the blooming season.
I Always plant sweat peas..but lately whenever I plant them
overnight something digs them up and nothing is left but disturbed dirt!!
Birds?
Should I put wire or what over the seeds?
Love Love my sweet pea flowers!
Thanks
Birds for sure. They love the seeds. They dig mine up as well. Starting them indoors and transplanting later has worked for me.
My sweet peas get a dusty grey-white powder on their leaves that I assume is mold. What can I do to prevent this.
Hi Julia,
Thank you for your question. The powder on the sweet pea leaves is powdery mildew which is a fungus, and is very common. Any fungicide will work to control it. Oil-based ones, like Neem Oil or Year-Round Spray Oil are effective, but sometimes cause leaf injury, especially if there is bright sun and warm temperatures. Spray in the late afternoon. You may want to test it on a small area and observe for a few days. Injury will show as brown leaves in a day or two. A copper fungicide like Liqui-Cop will also work. I have never experienced leaf injury using it, but again, you might want to test it for a few days to be safe.
Hope this helps to answer your question.
Steve
Thank you for the wonderful information! We have a toddler and newborn and have been slow to get to our garden, our seed packets still on the kitchen counter. Is it too late to plant our sweet pea seeds here in San Francisco? What can we do to hasten their growth and bloom? Thank you!
Thanks for your question Carrie. Sweet peas prefer cool temperatures to grow and bloom well. Generally, I recommend planting seed no later than February, but if you live in San Francisco or in one of the cities close to the Bay, you can still safely plant them. Your summer temperatures stay cool enough so that they should bloom well into summer. There is nothing to do to push the growth. Just keep them watered and fertililzed according to directions on the package with an all purpose flower fertilizer.
Steve Hampson
Hi, I really enjoyed your article, especially because I’m in the Los Angeles area and was always under the impression that sweet peas were a cooler climate flower. My question is, what seed companies do you get your sweet peas from? Any recommendations? Thanks.
Hello and thank you for inquiring with Roger’s Gardens,
Our sweet peas are hand selected by our own Steve Hampson & imported from England.
We have six packs grown by local bedding growers and sell seeds by Botanical Interests and Renee’s Garden.
So I’m a transplant to the Midwest from the coast.
Are there varieties or tips for me to grow sweet peas here or is all lost?!?
No, all is not lost. You can grow them there as well, just later in the season.
Hi Linda,
Sweet peas CAN be grown in the Midwest. They are just more challenging. The real challenge is when and how to take care of them that is much different. The plants need to be well established before hot weather arrives. So I would plant them as soon as the ground is dry enough to work them into the soil. No need to worry about late frost, this wont hurt the plants. An even easier way is to start them in individual pots a month earlier and transplant them once they are up and growing. “Renee’s Garden” is a great brand.
Thank you
Christine
Hi, I love in Bakersfield, California. It has been rather cold here, especially at night. Temperatures have gotten as low as the mid 40s. Is it too late to plant the seeds? I know your post said February if you are near the coast. We are a couple of hours inland.
Thank you,
Dorrie
Hello and thank you for inquiring with Roger’s Gardens,
It’s a bit late for Bakersfield although you can always try. It usually warms up too quickly for you to have a good season but if it stays cooler for whatever reason, you might be lucky.
In warmer areas it’s best to plant them in fall to get them going and they can be sprouted as the days finally begin growing longer at the end of December.
Good luck and maybe mark your 2020 calendar to plant them next early November,
Suzanne
Hi Dorri,
It is not too late to plant your sweet pea seeds. You will have until about March. You will find that planting seeds in the winter months will provide a stronger plant.
Thank you for the inquiry,
Christine Rasmussen
I live in Santa Ana. I’m looking to grow the fabled holiday sweet peas. Is it possible to start from seed indoors this week (Sept 2) and have blossoms by Christmas? Thanks!
Hello and thank you for inquiring with Roger’s Gardens,
If you would like to have early sweet peas (& Christmas is mighty early) you should make sure to get “short day’ or even ‘daylight neutral’ seeds and plant them as early as recommended on the package.
Most sweet peas are daylight sensitive and although you plant in November, they don’t start growing until the days get longer, after the solstice, but there are some that are bred for short or daylight neutral days.
We have two varieties of Early Blooming seeds, Chiffon Elegance from Renee’s Garden and Early Multiflora Blend from Botanical Interests. We look forward to your next visit, Suzanne