Henry Thomas Sweet Pea Plants

Sweet pea Henry Thomas

A relatively new variety, sweet pea Henry Thomas has rewritten the book when it comes to dark and vividly coloured blooms. Have a look at our range of sweet pea seedlings.

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.

Unfortunately, lots of deep-hued sweet pea varieties don't stand up well to bad weather, marking in rain especially. Luckily, this rich, luscious, sultry deep crimson-red sweet pea will cope with whatever the British weather has to throw at it and still keeps looking good - no more rain spots!

The large, velvety blooms have beautifully frilled petals, typical of the Spencer varieties, held on strong stems. They look beautiful as a posy in a simple glass vase against a dark background, so you can appreciate the intensity of the flowers.

Great in your garden...

Henry Thomas's rain-resistant properties means that people living in areas of heavy rainfall can now grow a sweet pea that won't be ruined by the weather. Its beautiful, glowing crimson colour will marry well with other paler sweet peas with a hint of pink, such as Pink Pearl.

It will also sit well within a hot-coloured exotic border or arrangement, alongside purple-leaved and orange-flowered cannas, daylilies (Hemerocallis) and large-leaved tender perennials, such as bananas and gingers.

On a more traditional note, let sweet pea Henry Thomas clamber up a trellis alongside repeat-flowering climbing roses, or combine it with tropical climbers, such as Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata), the cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens), passion flower (Passiflora) or morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea).

Features of Sweet pea Henry Thomas

• Colour: Bright crimson-red
• Stem: Long and sturdy
• Height: Up to 1.8m
• Scent: Medium perfume
• Flowering: June to September
• Planting Months: March-June
• Type: Spencer variety

Did you know...

Henry Thomas was bred in the UK by Derek Heathcote of Eagle Sweet Peas in 2012 and is named after his grandson.

Plant Henry Thomas Sweet Peas in well prepared, moist soil that ideally was enriched with organic matter the previous autumn (if you did not do it then, do it now!). Erect supports for the peas to climb up before planting. They can also be planted in pots of sufficient size - allow 6 litres per plant - and with an ideal planting medium of 50% compost, 40 %top soil and 10% well-rotted manure. General-purpose compost will do however but produces fewer flowers.

The principal requirement is enough water - Sweet Peas are thirsty and hungry plants. They can cope with a little shade but flower better in full sun.

Space each plant about 30 cm apart and about 5 cm from its support. The hole should be deep enough to accommodate the longest root and the soil should come up to the level of the first side shoot. Use wire/netting/twine between the supports so that the Sweet Pea can climb naturally. You will still need to tie them into the frame. They grow fast, so check every ten days or so.

Water well; the soil around sweet peas should never dry out. As the flowers develop pick them and then pick again, otherwise they start to form seedpods and will stop flowering altogether. Keep tying in and picking for as long as you can. Perfectionists will remove the curling tendrils which grip other stems and can result in flowers with wiggly stems and also will remove side shoots. see the website for more advice on training sweetpeas.

, By all means, apply a high potash and phosphate fertiliser during the growing season. (Sweet Peas actually fix nitrogen from the air into the soil so you don't need more of that.) Home-made comfrey liquid is perfect or Tomorite will do especially if you are on a sandy soil.