Sweet Pea Gwendoline has dramatic cerise-pink edged petals that ebb to white centres: I think it’s stunning. This highly scented Spencer type produces plenty of those lavish, wavy flowers, even in mixed summer weather.
🌸 Flowering: summer into September 📏 Height:180-200cm 🌿 Annual
Sow: either in deep pots from October to February (place in a cold frame) or sow in March or April. You can direct sow in mild areas in the spring. Some suggest that soaking the seed overnight before sowing aids germination. Harden off your spring-sown plants before planting out in May/June for blooms from July. Overwintered sweet peas may flower earlier than this.
Grow: they like full sun and a rich, moisture-retentive soil. A layer of mulch helps keep the soil and roots cooler and helps retain moisture during hot summer days. Sweet peas need support. Pick plenty and often, don’t let them set pods. Enjoy: some sweet peas cry out to be mixed with others. I think Gwendoline has enough going on to fill a little vase all by herself.
🏡 In your garden
• RHS Award of Garden Merit, recognising its reliable garden performance • Uban and courtyard gardens • Cottage and informal gardens • Cutting gardens • Pollinator plantings • Flower borders and beds including beside walls
✂️ Cut flower
• Fresh vase life of 4 to 7 days • Best cut when there are at least two unopened flowers at the tip
🐝 Pollinator friendly
• A good source of nectar in the summer • Growing them near vegetable patches helps draw pollinators into the garden • Their pea-shaped flowers are particularly attractive to bumblebees
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