Lathyrus odoratus grandiflora 'Spring Sunshine Cream'

The Sweet Pea or Lathyrus odoratus 'Spring Sunshine Cream' is part of a new range called 'Spring Sunshine' which offers varieties that are both early and heat resistant, suitable for Mediterranean climates. The flowers are fragrant, the plants are vigorous and very floriferous, with long stems. They make excellent cut flowers. The 'Spring Sunshine Cream' variety is a climbing annual plant with large growth and abundant flowering in a rich cream colour on sturdy stems, a very pleasant colour when mixed with other tones. With rapid growth, the stems develop tendrils that cling to the support you have provided.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae family, native to southeastern Italy and Sicily. The 'Spring Sunshine Cream' variety stands out for its high-end performance for very early flowering. It can reach 2m (7ft) in height and 40cm (16in) in width in a few months. Its leaves are paired on quadrangular stems, with stipules at the base and extending into tendrils. They are light green in color. Flowering takes place between April and June. The papilionaceous flowers are large, grouped in axillary clusters, with a creamy white colour, rich and full, and slightly undulate petals. They are composed of 5 petals, with the upper one, which is also the largest, taking the form of a standard, while the others have an intermediate shape between the lip and the tube. They emit a delicate fragrance, with a sweet floral aroma and hints of honey and musk, very feminine. The fruit is a flat pod that twists and expels its seeds at a distance. It is essential to remove faded flowers, as seed production immediately stops flowering. Sweet peas root fairly deep in the soil to draw water and nutrients.

Scented Vetches or sweet peas thrive in warm and sunny locations, in well-drained, even rocky soils. They are irreplaceable, their touching and old-fashioned flowering brings a lot of charm to bouquets, hanging baskets, and any support they bravely colonize in one season. They are just as charming and wandering in flower beds, using neighboring plants or bushes as support. They can also form beautiful carpets, mixing colours. They are inseparable from cottage gardens, like peonies, hollyhocks, foxgloves, peach-leaved bellflowers, and columbines. They also thrive in the fertile, well-watered soil of the vegetable garden, where they provide a good supply of cut flowers.