Lathyrus odoratus Antique Fantasy mixed - Sweet Pea Seeds

Antique Fantasy mixed is a selection of heirloom sweet pea varieties that are amongst the best in terms of colour and fragrance. Adorned with white, pink, red or purple flowers depending on the plant, these adorable little climbers set out to conquer whatever support you put at their disposal, quickly creating colourful and fragrant scenes in flowerbeds and containers. Their flower-covered stems are also beautiful in a vase. Make sure you plant these annuals in a sunny spot with plenty of good, moist soil.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family originating from south-eastern Italy and Sicily. Antique Fantasy mixed is a selection of climbing varieties: the plants can reach 1.80 m in height and 30 cm in width in the space of a few months. Their quadrangular winged stems have stipules at their base, bear pairs of light-green leaflets and end in a terminal tendril. Flowering takes place from June to August. The papilionaceous flowers are quite large and ruffled and are gathered in axillary clusters of up to 6 flowers. Flowers are composed of 5 petals: a standard, 2 free wing petals, and 2 fused petals. Each variety included in this selection has different coloured flowers: white, red, soft pink, bright pink, lilac and dark purple. They give off a delicate, sweet fragrance, which has a sweet floral aroma with smooth honeyed and musky notes. The fruit is a flat pod that splits at maturity, forcibly expelling its seeds away from the plant. It is essential to regularly remove wilted flowers, as seed production stunts flowering. Sweet peas root deeply in the ground to find water and nutrients.

Sweet peas are irreplaceable, their charming and old-fashioned flowers make quaint bouquets, look stunning in hanging baskets and will soon cover up an old garden wall or fence. They are beautiful in summer flower beds, where they will use neighbouring plants or shrubs as a support. They can also form colourful carpets when grown as ground cover. Sweet peas are a must-have in cottage gardens alongside peonies, hollyhocks, fox gloves, peach leaved bellflowers, and columbines. They also do well in the fertile and well-watered soil of the vegetable garden, where they can be used as cut flowers.