Lathyrus odoratus 'Spencer Old Times'

Lathyrus odoratus 'Spencer Old Times' is a variety of Sweet Pea from the 'Spencer' series, notable for its powerful fragrance and abundant flowering. It is an annual, climbing or creeping plant that quickly covers a large area. By regularly removing the pods that form after the flowers, it generously blooms all summer long. 'Spencer Old Times' offers an elegant colour, beautiful and large cream-white flowers, with just a hint of blue-violet edging and veining. It is easy to sow and cultivate in the sun, in fertile and moist soil.

Lathyrus odoratus 'Spencer Old Time' is an annual herbaceous plant from the Fabaceae family, whose ancestors originate from southeastern Italy and Sicily. Thanks to its tendrils, it can climb or creep up to 2.50m (8ft) in height and 30cm (12in) in width in just a few months. This variety has a distinctive and refined colour, as its cream-white colour is subtly tinged with a dark blue reflection, thanks to a fine border and veins of the same shade. The leaves are paired on quadrangular stems, equipped with stipules at the base and extended into tendrils. Their colour is a light green, more or less greyish or bluish. Flowering takes place from June-July to August-September, depending on the sowing date. The papilionaceous flowers are large to very large, grouped in axillary clusters. They consist of 5 petals, more or less fringed, with the uppermost petal, which is also the largest, taking the form of a banner, while the others have an intermediate shape between the lip and the tube. They emit a powerful, yet 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. They thrive in warmth and in rich, loose, and moist soils.

The sweet peas are essential annuals with their charming old-fashioned flowering. They quickly cover any available support, such as a wire fence or a garden shed, in just one season. On the ground, when mixed with different varieties, they form beautiful colourful carpets. They are equally charming in summer flower beds, using neighbouring plants or bushes as support. In a cottage garden or vegetable garden, where they appreciate fertile and well-watered soil, they accompany columbines, hollyhocks, or foxgloves. They make splendid bouquets. 'Spencer Old Time' looks majestic in a large hanging basket, cascading down in romantic garlands.