Growing Sweet Peas

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Sweet Pea Flowers

Moravska/Shutterstock

With their seductive fragrance, sweet peas make great flowers for gardens and bouquets. These pea-like flowering annuals grow in many lovely colors and are suitable for a border, a woodland garden, and a trellis or arch. See how to plant and grow sweet peas. Early sowing is one of the secrets to sweet peas!

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.

Planting

How to Plant Sweet Peas

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.
Sweet peas are happiest with their heads in the sun and their roots deep in cool, moist soil. When possible, plant low-growing annuals in front of them to shade their roots.
Choose a well-drained site. Alkaline soil is best; sprinkle some powdered lime on the surface if your soil tends to be acidic.
Prepare a rich soil by mixing in generous amounts of compost and well-rotted manure to a depth of 2 feet. (Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)
Prior to planting, you’re going to want to dig a nice deep trench of about 4 inches in depth.
After you dig the trench, make holes with a pencil, drop in the seeds, and press down on the soil to firm it and shut out any light.
Before planting, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. Then nick the seeds with a nail file before planting to speed sprouting. You do not need to soak seeds in a temperate climate.

Check out our video on planting and growing sweet peas:

Care

How to Grow Sweet Peas

Once planted, germination can take 7 to 15 days, depending on the soil temperature.
As seedlings emerge and grow, gradually fill in the trench. Hoe more soil up to them.
Keep soil moist. Summer rain may be ample. If you put your finger into the soil bed to its first joint and the soil is dry: water them at the soil level and do so in the morning; sweet peas can suffer from bud drop.
If you use plenty of aged manure and compost when planting, you do not need to fertilize. If you do want to add nourishment, use high potash feeds, as nitrogen feeds encourage too much top growth.
Sweet peas prefer cool days and nights and will start to fade when temperatures go above 65°F.
Except for the bush types, sweet peas are real climbers. Give them at least 6 feet of good support. Some varieties may climb to 9 or 10 feet. If you don’t have a fence or trellis, provide brush or chicken wire or bushy, stubbly twigs that they can cling to.
When plants become established, mulch well to keep the soil cool and moist. If you mulch, you may not need to water your sweet peas unless the soil gets dry.
To encourage bushy growth, pinch off the tops when plants are 6 inches tall—not before or you’ll encourage premature side-shoot development.
Pick the flowers for bouquets often and the plant will put energy into more blooms instead of going to seed. Harvest the stems when the lowest blossom is just beginning to open.

Pests/Diseases

Slugs and snails may attack young growth.
Pythium root rot, powdery mildew, rust, gray mold, and various leaf spots are common.

Recommended Varieties

‘April in Paris’ is a fragrant modern variety with large creamy-yellow blossoms and lilac shading.
The deliciously scented ‘America’ is an heirloom, dating to 1896. Its petals unfurl to show stunning wavy red and white stripes.
Breeders now offer varieties with old-fashioned perfume scents, as well as heat resistance. Look for heirlooms like the ‘Old Spice’ collection from Sicily. This strain blooms in shades of white, cream, pink, lavender, and purple.

Wit & Wisdom

The sweet pea is an essential member of a late-Victorian garden. Victorians loved sweet peas for their color diversity and fragrance.
Gather the flowers in the morning when the dew is still on them. This is when their scent is the sweetest.
Sweet peas are one of the April birth flowers.

“The odor of the sweet pea is so offensive to flies that it will drive them out of a sick-room, though not in the slightest degree disagreeable to the patient.”
–A tip from The 1899 Old Farmer’s Almanac

Sweet Pea
(Delicate Pleasures)
“Here are sweet peas, on tip-toe for a flight:
With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white,
And taper fingers catching at all things,
To bind them all about with tiny rings.”
–John Keats (1795–1821)

What do you want to read next?

Spring-Flowering Bulbs to Plant in...

Having a Vine Time with Perennial...

The Best Fall Flowers for Your...

Container Gardening with Flowers

Helping the Bees and the...

Tips and Treats

Dahlias

Pest-Resistant Plants and Flowers

Easy Perennial Flowers for...

Plant Guides: Flowers, Bulbs,...

When to Plant Flowers

Canna Tropicanna® Anthony Tesselaar Plants

Cannas

Reader Comments

Hi, my question is that I get

Hi, my question is that I get a good showing of sweet peas early on and then it seems like the stems turn a whitish color and they die....I live in B.C. thanks

Hello to everyone! I've

Hello to everyone! I've looked all over the internet and I can't find an answer...hope that you will be able to help me! So,there are both winter and spring varieties in lathyrus odoratus. I've grown my winter sweet pees (I 'm from Greece) and now I don't know if i must sow again Winter or a spring variety.What determines when to sow each one????I use them as cut flowers and now I must sow the next batch.Thank you in advance

Thanks for the help...I

Thanks for the help...I didn't even have to ask a question.....everyone else asked for me!!! I'm planting Heirloom seeds and hoping that I have good luck with them! Thanks again !

I live in New Orleans and

I live in New Orleans and have planted sweet peas as late as January and still got a good show. However, October seems to be the best time to plant. I also plant them pretty thick, so I end up with a kind of 'hedge' that is absolutely a car-stopper! I used to live near a Mardi Gras parade route, so people would park their cars all over our neighborhood, and I'd stand by the hedge with a pair of scissors and hand out bouquets to passersby- just part of the fun!

How do I grow my plant if I

How do I grow my plant if I want to use only water in a bowl

I live in the high desert of

I live in the high desert of California and have planted my sweet peas which I hope to bloom in the spring. It's still warm during the days here--in the 80s and in the 50s at night. I have been watering the seeds and they're starting to sprout! Should I have waited until it's cooler in the daytime?

Also, should I water the seeds in the ground now or wait until spring when I want them to grow? I can't figure out why it's best to plant early and not water; but then why plant early and water and not want the seeds to sprout for several months?????

Sweet peas grow best in cool

Sweet peas grow best in cool temperatures. To shade the roots from the daytime heat put some mulch down around the seedlings. Keep the soil moist but not too wet. Your sweet peas may bloom before spring. If they bloom early plant some more seeds for spring blooms.

I live in Austria, Middle

I live in Austria, Middle Europe and have moderate success with sweet peas, this year was sorry.
In garden I have a pervious soil, the humus is 1 foot deep, deeper stoniness.
The earth from my composter is very fat.
Before winter, I want to
prepare the soil for the peas.
Have you an advice for me?

I grew sweet peas this year

I grew sweet peas this year foe first time in many years. I found two different seed pods on them one is shaped like a legume or bean and large like a lima bean and purple and pink spotted, the other is small round dark seeds. which one do I plant and what is going on. very strange

For sweet peas, after the

For sweet peas, after the flower fades, you should see a string bean-like pod encase the seeds. The pod starts out bright green, but it will fade to a brown color when the seeds are mature. The dried pod will split to reveal the seeds.

I planted my sweet peas way

I planted my sweet peas way too close together. If I untwirl them all & cut every 2nd plant right back, will the mature plant transplant ok? I live in subtropical Australia. Thanks.

I planted 3 window boxes of

I planted 3 window boxes of sweet peas (in Catskill Mtns., 2600' elev) and all three have grown, but....not one bloom as of 8/6/14! We've had a cool and wet summer unlike most years.

One box is separated as it has aphids, the other two are not infested.

I grow eating peas and beans well in hay with no problems! In reading advice, I've done it all. I'm a bit sad at not having one single blossom. :-(

I'd say we are a zone 4 due to our elevation (called a mini-alpine climate by a local horticulturist)

Our clematis, BES, phlox, lilies, etc. do fine though. Oh well.

I have kept and marked the

I have kept and marked the various colours of sweet peas.
Will the White seeds collected bear White sweet peas and Purple bear the same shade as the mother plant?
If so, arranging a colour scheme for balance would be nice. In mixed packets, Murphy's Law will have all Purple at one end with a Pink somewhere in the middle:)

Interesting question! With

Interesting question! With sweet peas, there are dominant and recessive genes. Keep this in mind when breeding: white flower color is the recessive color (though dominant to cream). Red flower color is dominant over pink and rust. I believe purple flower color is dominant over red and maroon. We'd love to hear about your experiment and how it turns out!

Are the peas off of purple

Are the peas off of purple sweet pea flowers eatible?

Sweet peas are flowers not

Sweet peas are flowers not green peas. The seeds are poisonous.

Can I use the pods

Can I use the pods (seeds)from this years plants to have seeds for next year?

Sweet pea seeds are easy to

Sweet pea seeds are easy to collect and store for next year. Make sure the seeds are totally dry before putting them in an envelope or container. Pick the pods when they are mature and already have started to dry on the plant. You can put the peas on a plate in a sunny window to finish drying.

can i use the seeds(pods)

can i use the seeds(pods) from this year for flowers next year?

well i planted {by plants] in

well i planted {by plants] in April my Sweet Peas, i am zone 7. They have grown but never any flowers. I do have Petunias planted around them. They are green and vining up a tree. I AM BUMMED ( THEY ARE MY FAV OUTTA ALL THE FLOWERS I GROW!!!) Thank you for all you info...

I have the same problem!

I have the same problem! Please can someone advise? My plants are healthy and seem happy at about 40-50cm tall, but not flowering. We are near the end of winter where I'm from, should I just be patient?

Hi, Jaime, Since you seem to

Hi, Jaime, Since you seem to have the same problem as Terry (above), here is the same answer:
By most estimates, your peas are not flowering because they experienced too high temps—some say 85°F or above, but even cooler could cause produce this outcome.
Petunias are not specifically cited as an influence, but sweet peas, like most vegetables, need to be rotated in the garden—that is, planted in a different place every year for four years; in the fifth year, you could plant them again in the original (first, so to speak) spot.
So, start them sooner next year in a different place with the proper conditions (see above).
Hope this helps!

Hi, Terry, By most estimates,

Hi, Terry,
By most estimates, your peas are not flowering because they experienced too high temps—some say 85°F or above, but even cooler could cause produce this outcome.
Petunias are not specifically cited as an influence, but sweet peas, like most vegetables, need to be rotated in the garden—that is, planted in a different place every year for four years; in the fifth year, you could plant them again in the original (first, so to speak) spot.
So, start them sooner next year in a different place with the proper conditions (see above).

Can sweet pea flowers be

Can sweet pea flowers be grown indoors in Florida?

Sweet peas aren't an easy

Sweet peas aren't an easy plant to grow indoors as a houseplant. They need cool temperatures but at least 6 hours of sun per day (morning sun might be best, as it gets hot in the afternoon). Lots of rich soil and a deep pot. You may not get blooms, but it is certainly worth a try. You might try planting them in the fall, during cooler weather, unless your home is cooled all year.

Thank you Almanac Staff. I

Thank you Almanac Staff. I will try to grow this plant indoors in the Fall as I love the flowers. I sure hope I'm successful
Judith

I live on the Washington

I live on the Washington State coast line. My husband just built me a bed for my sweet peas but in doing so I asked him to put down plastic cloth over the driveway gravel. He then built a semi circle bed out of landscaping blocks and it is great. My question is: should I have poked holes in the plastic before covering it with 18" of 4 way soil, or will it drain through the landscaping blocks or out the bottom under the blocks. He did such a wonderful job I don't want to complain especially since it was my fault.

After considering several

After considering several experiences with both black plastic and landscape cloth, we would have advised not using either and mulching heavily instead.
Rain runoff is only one concern but it may also mean that you water more. "Dead" (undernourished) soil under the plastic, as well as critters from snakes to moles. not to mention decay can happen. Removing both of these materials after they decay can seem to take forever.
Consider removing the soil, setting it aside, and pulling up the plastic at the end of the season—then returning the soil to the same spot. The gravel will provide drainage. And mulch whatever you grow.

Hi! I am extremely surprised

Hi! I am extremely surprised at the concensus that sweet peas are hard to grow and must be started very early. In Prince George, BC Canada I threw a handful in a large empty plant pot at the end of July and had beautiful flowers well into the fall. I did not soak or file and the sprouted quite quickly. July and August are hot in P.G. I can't understand the fuss people are going to with these plants. I have them at the front of the house too and did not dig down 2 feet.I plant the ones out front in April and they take off like wildfire. I have been using "Jumbo" Royal Family Mix, Spencer Giants and the Everlasting mix comes up every year if I let the seeds drop. I would really like someone to explain to me why I have never had a struggle with these plants?

Hi, Susan, Whatever you're

Hi, Susan,
Whatever you're doing, it's working—and we all here are envious, I'm sure (I know I am!).
McKenzie Seeds (which claims to be Canada's #1 packet seed company) advises soaking these seeds for 24 hours before planting and planting at about 1/2-inch (13mm) depth, so that's similar to the advice here. This vendor also describes the variety as "exceptionally long lasting" on "long, sturdy stems"—up to 2.1. meters (7 feet).
Another vendor, Ed Hume, suggests a trellis for this height, and also advises keeping the soil moist throughout the growing period and picking/deadheading flowers for the longest bloom period.
If you're not doing any of this, yet have fabulous results, I can only guess that you have a deep green thumb. Thanks for sharing this variety.