GardenAnnual Flower · 28 varieties
Sweet pea
Lathyrus odoratus
Fabaceae — the same plant family as bush bean, pea, pole bean, cowpea and 9 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is an annual flower. It wants full sun and pH 6.5–7.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. It matures in about 75–90 days from sowing, or 60–75 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and powdery mildew. Below: its full sourced profile from 4 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.5–7.5est
- Soil texture
- High organic matter, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Half hardy
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 3–8 ft
- Mature spread
- 2–3 ft
- Growth rate
- Fastest
- Spacing in row
- 6–8 in
- Between rows
- 24–36 inest
- Planting depth
- 0.25–1 in
- Container size
- 3–5 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
- Support
- Needs staking or a trellis
- Grown from
- Direct sow, Transplant
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1–1.5 in/wkest
- Critical water
- Floweringest
- Feeding
- Heavy
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 75–90 days from seed · 60–75 days from transplantest
- Harvest cues
- First flowers
Planted again for autumn
- Set plants out by
- late Aug typical · zone 6b
60 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
This is the ornamental sweet pea, grown for its scent and cut flowers. It is not the edible garden pea, which is a different plant and is in this database as "Peas". They are easy to mix up by name and they are not the same thing.
PeopleToxic seeds, Toxic pods, Low severity, Causes lathyrism
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Habit | Days | Color | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| America Heirloom | 60–75 | Bicolor | Select Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| April in Paris | Spencer | 60–75 | Bicolor | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | |
| Bijou Mix | Dwarf | 60–75 | True Leaf Market describes this assmall enough for a pot · smells good | ||
| Black Knight Heirloom | Grandiflora | 60–75 | Purple | Select Seeds describes this assmells good | |
| Cupani's Original Heirloom | 60–75 | Bicolor | Select Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Cupid Mix | Dwarf | 60–75 | Red, Purple, Bicolor | NC State Extension records this assmells good · good for cutting and putting in a vase | |
| High Scent | 60–75 | Bicolor | Royal Horticultural Society describes this assmells good | ||
| Jewels of Albion Heirloom | 60–75 | Purple, White | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat · smells good | ||
| King Edward VII Heirloom | Grandiflora | 60–75 | Red | Select Seeds describes this assmells good | |
| Knee-Hi Mix | Dwarf | 60–75 | Red, Purple | NC State Extension records this assmells good · good for cutting and putting in a vase | |
| Little Sweetheart | Dwarf | 60–75 | Red, Purple, White | NC State Extension records this assmells good · good for cutting and putting in a vase | |
| Lord Nelson Heirloom | 60–75 | Blue | Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Mammoth Mix | Spencer | 60–75 | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat · smells good | ||
| Matucana Heirloom | 60–75 | Bicolor | West Coast Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| North Shore Heirloom | 60–75 | Bicolor | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Old Spice Mix Heirloom | Old Fashioned | 60–75 | Swallowtail Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Painted Lady Heirloom | 60–75 | Bicolor | Select Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Perfume Delight Heirloom | 60–75 | Red, Purple, White, Bicolor | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat · smells good | ||
| Queen of Hearts Heirloom | 60–75 | Red, White | Grow Organic (Peaceful Valley) describes this astakes the heat · smells good | ||
| Queen of the Night Heirloom | 60–75 | Purple, Red, Bicolor | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this astakes the heat · smells good | ||
| Royal Flush | 60–75 | Bicolor | Royal Horticultural Society describes this assmells good | ||
| Royal Wedding Heirloom | Spencer | 60–75 | White | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this assmells good | |
| Saltwater Taffy Swirls Heirloom | 60–75 | Red, Purple | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Spencer Mix Heirloom | Spencer | 60–75 | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | ||
| Watermelon Heirloom | Spencer | 60–75 | Red, Orange | Renee's Garden Seeds describes this assmells good | |
| White Ensign | Spencer | 60–75 | White | NC State Extension records this assmells good · good for cutting and putting in a vase | |
| Windowbox Mix | Trailing | 60–75 | Red, White, Purple | NC State Extension records this assmells good · good for cutting and putting in a vase | |
| Winston Churchill | Spencer | 60–75 | Red | Royal Horticultural Society describes this assmells good |
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- NC State Extension
- Ohio State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 12 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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