Lathyrus odoratus – Sweet Pea

Annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a beautiful climbing plant for almost any garden. The real appeal lies in their fragrance. The flowers emit a sweet, honey fragrance that perfumes the air. It is one of the most graceful and classic annuals, bearing pea-like flowers in a wide range of colors.

In the wild plant the flowers are purple, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) wide. They are larger and very variable in color in the many cultivars.

Scientific Name: Lathyrus odoratus L.

Common Names
Sweet Pea
Scientific Classification
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Vicieae
Genus: Lathyrus

Hardiness:
It is grown as an annual plant, so it has no USDA hardiness zone.

source: pinterest

How to Grow and Care

• Early sowing is one of the secrets of sweet peas. In Zone 7 or colder, plant them in very late winter or early spring as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. (Do not wait to sow until last frost.)
• In the coldest parts of the country, get a jump on the season by starting sweet peas indoors in six-packs or Jiffy pots. Harden seedlings off for at least a week, and then set them out into the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. If you garden in mild winter climates (Zones 8, 9, or 10), plant sweet peas in the late fall so they can develop and bloom in late winter and early spring.

Cultivated sweet peas go back at least 300 years. In their native Sicily, these ornamental peas have weak stems and an intense orange-jasmine-honey scent. Modern hybrids are stronger-stalked and have larger blooms.

Growing sweet peas is akin to making a pie crust. Some people have the knack, others don’t. Sweet peas are quite hardy, growing from large, easy-to-handle, pea-like seeds. Still, they’re a bit tricky because they are slow to germinate. It’s worth experimenting with different seeds each year...  – See more at:How to Grow and Care sweet peas - Lathyrus odoratus



Origin
Native to Sicily, Cyprus, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands.

Links: Back to genus Lathyrus odoratus

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