Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
Family Fabaceae
Sweet peas are the most fragrant thing a trellis can do — six-to-eight-foot vines of ruffled bloom whose scent fills a room from a single jam-jar bouquet. The contract is famous and generous: the more stems you cut for the house, the more it gives.
A cool-weather climber for cottage trellises and fences, it blooms spring into fall where summers allow and keeps the bees interested throughout. One boundary matters: despite the name, this pea is for vases only — the seeds are not for eating. Give a fence the perfume it deserves.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Fast in cool weather growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill
From the print shop
Growing sweet pea? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries sweet pea — Lathyrus odoratus, print Nº 464, “Sweet Pea.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what sweet pea actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualSweet Pea · Common problems
Common sweet pea problems
Sweet Pea · Growing & propagation
Growing sweet pea
- Light
- Full Sun, cool roots
- Water
- Moderate-High
Mulch the root run
Soil- Deep, rich, composted · pH 7.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer- Compost trench at sowing
Liquid feed at bud
Pruning- None
Pinch at 4 in for side shoots; then CUT BLOOMS RELENTLESSLY — one pod forming shuts the whole vine down.
Spacing- 6-8 in on netting
How to plant & propagate sweet pea
- Propagate
- From seed
Sweet Pea · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Sweet Pea · Yearly calendar
The sweet pea year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomApril to June, then September to November
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Sweet Pea · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Lathyrus odoratus
Sweet Pea in the garden system
- Vine layer annual
- N-fixer
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What sweet pea is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesSEEDS TOXIC — not an eating pea, keep from kids/pets
Use- Fragrant bouquets
- Use
- Cottage trellises
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Sweet Pea · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a sweet pea variety
'Cupani' (original, most fragrant); 'Spencer' types (ruffled show); 'Old Spice' (heat-tolerant)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Lathyrus odoratus
- Plant family
- Fabaceae
- Growth habit
- Annual
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- LAOD
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Sweet Pea questions, answered straight.
Is sweet pea safe for kids and pets?
With care. SEEDS TOXIC — not an eating pea, keep from kids/pets Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate sweet pea?
From seed.
Elsewhere
Where sweet pea sits in the library.
Morning Glory
Clematis
Wisteria
Coral Honeysuckle