Scientific Name
Lathyrus odoratus L.
Common Name(s)
Sweet Pea
Scientific Classification
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Vicieae
Genus: Lathyrus
Flower
Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Spring to fall
Description
Lathyrus odoratus is an annual climbing plant that grows up to 6.7 feet (2 m) tall where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, which twines around supporting plants and structures, helping the plant to climb. Flowers are purple and up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) wide in the wild plant. They are larger and very variable in color in the many cultivars.
Hardiness
It is grown as an annual plant, so it has no USDA hardiness zone.
How to Grow and Care
Sweet Peas are best sown in a full to part sun location directly in the ground on well-drained, compost amended soil in spring. Plant climbing Sweet Peas along a fence, trellis, or wire. Bush varieties can be planted in containers.
Nick the seeds with a nail file and soak them overnight in warm water to hasten germination. Plant once your ground has dried out, spacing the seeds 6 inches (15 cm) apart. To get an earlier flowering crop in cold areas, consider starting Sweet Pea seeds indoors in pots 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date.
Since Sweet Peas are a Legume, they need little additional fertilizer. They grow best on neutral pH soil, so add some lime. Keep the soil evenly moist for good germination and growth if your soil is acidic.
Sweet Peas may dry up and die in mid-summer in warmer areas. Enjoy the early summer crop and consider planting a crop in mid-summer for fall.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Sweet Peas.
Origin
This species is native to Sicily, Cyprus, southern Italy, and the Aegean Islands.
Links
- Back to genus Lathyrus
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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