There aren't that many true red sweet peas - lots of pinks and variations thereof - but a good, deep red sweet pea is a minority sport making King Edward VII that much more special. It also plays well for those who do not like the more wishy-washy sweet pea colours. It is a true Henry Eckford offspring with small, numerous and highly scented flowers of that old-fashioned calibre that is hard to better, and they become ever more prolific the more you pick them. The flowers are borne on shortish stems but will cover the whole stem from top to toe - very good for keeping you flexible. Browse all of our sweet peas.
The heritage varieties of sweet pea give and give with King Edward VII as no exception and so anyone who wants a bunch of sweet peas on a daily basis just for the smell alone should invest in him. The red colour is a bonus and is fun to dot in amongst other red sweet peas like the flake America or to be all patriotic with white Cathy and navy Lord Nelson. But do not just relegate King Edward VII to the cutting garden. It grows strongly but not too tall and so it will perform magnificently in a pot somewhere sunny or draped over a small obelisk or some such in the middle of a border.
Henry Eckford introduced this sweet pea back in 1903. He started work on breeding ever more improved Grandiflora sweet peas in the 1880s from the village of Wem in Shropshire. Each year in July they still hold a sweet pea festival in his honour - now that is definitely worth a detour!