Black Knight Sweet Pea Seedlings

Black Knight Sweet Pea

An old-fashioned Grandiflora, Black Knight is a handsome striking crimson/black colour. You might sometimes get up to four flowers on each stem, which judged by today's standards are relatively short compared to the Spencer varieties. The flowers are quite small but make up for this by sheer numbers. It has a stupendous sweet pea scent and is indomitably vigorous, climbing up to 2 metres high with an armour of flowers from helm to spur. Have a meander down our select list of excellent sweet peas.

Our Sweet Peas are delivered in purpose-designed, recycled cardboard packaging, and are ready to be planted out when you get them.
We generally send them out between March and May, but we will email you with the likely delivery timescale once you have placed your order.

A favour for your garden

Black Knight sweet pea makes for a gorgeous cutting flower and a very good foil for the plethora of pastels out there too. Being an old-fashioned type you could grow Black Knight in a pot so that you can place it close to an outside door. Or combine it with some white flowered runner beans for a beautiful potager look and to encourage lots of insects into your vegetable garden to pollinate the beans and more. Partner Black Knight with creamy Cathy and/or striking carmine Edward V11 for a zinging combination of old-fashioned sweet peas. Bear in mind that it is not hugely visible from a distance if you are growing it to view in a garden unless you grow it against silver or gold foliage when it really comes into its own.

Features of Black Knight Sweet Peas

• Colour: pure crimson/black
• Stem: short
• Height: 1.8 m
• Type: Old fashioned Grandiflora
• Scent: Very strong
• Flowering: June to August
• Planting Months: March-June

Lore of the Knight

Henry Eckford is to British Sweet Peas what Delia Smith is to British cooking and Black Knight is one of his success stories. He was a passionate breeder who worked in the 1890s to develop lots of our best beloved sweet pea varieties from which have been bred modern Grandifloras and now Spencer varieties

Sweet Peas do best in well worked, moisture retentive soil. Adding organic matter really makes a difference and is best done the autumn before. But on the day is very much better than not at all. Your plants will do best in open ground, but you can get good results planting Sweet Peas in window boxes and pots of sufficient size - allow at least 3 litres per plant and remember that these are quite deep-rooted plants. In containers, the ideal planting mix is 50% compost, 40% topsoil and 10% well-rotted manure. Ordinary potting compost is OK, but you will get fewer flowers.

A range of supports can be used from twiggy branches to willow wigwams to posts with netting stretched between. Whatever you use, do the construction work before planting. Think about the position - Sweet Peas can cope with a little shade but flower better in full sun.

Space plants about 10-15 cm apart and 5 cm from their support. The hole should be deep enough to plant the full length of the rootball and allow enough so the soil finishes level with the lowest pair of leaves. Check to make sure they are climbing well every week or so, as they grow quickly. Tie into their supports if not.

Sweet Peas biggest need is for water -  they are incredibly thirsty plants. So water well after planting and make sure they never completely dry out. They are greedy too so you will lengthen their flowering period if you give them a high potash and phosphate fertiliser every 7-10 days once buds begin to form. Home-made comfrey liquid is perfect or Tomorite will do - especially if you are on a sandy soil.

Cut the flowers as they develop pick them, otherwise they run to seed and stop flowering.