Our Fragrant English Sweet Peas

Steve Hampson has been an integral part of our team for nearly a decade, quietly shaping the gardens of many with his deep knowledge and gentle expertise. As our lead horticulturist, Steve’s work extends far beyond day-to-day tasks—he is an expert plantsman, admired for his skill and passion in growing some of the most beloved and intricate plant varieties. Despite his extensive experience and accolades, Steve is remarkably humble. He never boasts about his accomplishments, even though he could easily command the attention of both novice and expert gardeners alike. In the horticultural world, he is a leading authority, especially when it comes to sweet peas, daffodils, orchids, water lilies, and cyclamen, to name just a few of his specialties. Steve has won numerous awards in various national horticultural exhibits.

Steve’s reputation as one of the country’s foremost sweet pea experts is well known, and his connections with some of the world’s top breeders only reinforce this. He is close friends with Roger Parsons, the owner of England’s National Collection of Sweet Peas and arguably the world’s leading authority on these delicate, fragrant flowers. Steve has even attended the prestigious National Sweet Pea Show in England, learning from and sharing his knowledge with other top-tier experts. He’s also a personal friend of Keith Zary, one of New Zealand’s premier sweet pea breeders, further cementing his standing in the global horticultural community. Every year, from his expansive garden in Tustin, Steve meticulously grows, harvests, and packages nearly 20,000 sweet pea seeds, which are either sold as seed or nurtured into 4” pots for our customers. His dedication and love for his work shine through in every seed, making each plant a testament to his craftsmanship and care.

Roger Parsons
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Roger Parsons is a professional horticulturist who has been growing Sweet Peas since 1985 and other Lathyrus species since 1991. From 1993, he has been custodian of a National Collection ® of Lathyrus species and from 1998 custodian of a seedbank of Sweet Pea cultivars. In May 2005 the National Collection ® was extended to include L.odoratus cultivars (Sweet Peas). Roger Parsons Sweet Peas was established in 2005 to offer surplus seeds from these collections. Roger has won coveted Gold Awards for his Sweet Peas at National Sweet Pea Society exhibitions in 2008 & 2009. In March 2012, Roger was awarded the prestigious Henry Eckford Gold Memorial Medal. This is the highest honour presented by the National Sweet Pea Society and is rarely awarded. In August 2014, Roger started to exclusively retail seeds for Cooltonagh Irish Sweet Peas.In September 2018, the National Collection ® was awarded Scientific status by Plant Heritage and in July 2019 received the coveted Brickell Award for excellence in the conservation of cultivated plants.

Roger is well known among sweet pea growers as a Trustee of the National Sweet Pea Society and its Chairman from 2017-2020. He is a former Chairman of the NSPS/Royal Horticultural Society Joint Trials Committee. Roger’s particular interests include the history and development of the sweet pea, other Lathyrus species and the raising of new varieties. He is author of the book “Sweet Peas: an Essential Guide” and co-author of “Lathyrus: a Complete Guide”. In March 2022, Roger was elected President of the National Sweet Pea Society.