Lathyrus odoratus grandiflora Spring Sunshine Light Blue - Sweet pea

The Sweet Pea or Lathyrus odoratus 'Spring Sunshine Light Blue'  is part of a new range called Spring Sunshine which offers varieties that are both early and heat-resistant, adapted to the Mediterranean climate. The flowers are fragrant, the plants are vigorous and very floriferous, with long stems. They make excellent cut flowers. This Spring Sunshine Light Blue variety forms an annual climbing plant with vigorous growth and abundant flowering in a highly appreciated light blue colour on sturdy stems. The stems develop tendrils that attach themselves to the support you provide.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family, native to southeastern Italy and Sicily. The Spring Sunshine Light Blue variety stands out for its high-end performance and very early flowering. It can reach 2m (7ft) in height and 40cm (16in) in width in just a few months. Its leaves are paired on quadrangular stems with stipules at the base and extended into tendrils. They are light green in colour. Flowering occurs between April and June. The papilionaceous flowers are large, grouped in axillary clusters, in a light blue colour, with slightly undulate petals. They are composed of 5 petals, with the upper one, also the largest, taking the shape 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 with 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 deeply in the soil to draw water and nutrients.

Sweet peas thrive in warm and sunny places, in well-drained, even rocky soil. 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 equally charming and wandering in flower beds, using neighbouring plants or bushes as support. They can also create 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 and irrigated soil of the vegetable garden, where they provide a good supply of cut flowers.