Lesson 1
Scent vs. show
Modern grandiflora sweet peas (large, ruffled) tend to lose scent. For perfume, return to the older Spencer or heritage varieties: 'Matucana' (purple-magenta, almost vapour-strong), 'Cupani' (the 1699 original from Sicily), 'Painted Lady', 'High Scent', 'Lord Nelson' (deepest navy-blue).
For cutting: a mix of single colours grown in rows beats a packet of mixed seed every time. Pick three you love and grow ten plants of each.
Modern AGM Spencers worth seeking: 'Mrs Bernard Jones' (cream + pink), 'Erewhon' (lavender-pink, two-tone), 'Gwendoline' (RHS award; pink and white).
Sweet pea families
- Heritage / 'Grandiflora antiqua' — small flowers, INTENSE scent (Matucana, Cupani).
- Spencer — large ruffled flowers, mid-to-strong scent, the cut-flower standard.
- Multifloras / 'Solstice' — 5–6 flowers per stem, modern for florists.
- Dwarf / 'Bijou' / 'Cupid' — for hanging baskets and pots without supports.
- Old-fashioned bi-colours ('Painted Lady') — pure scent + history.