King Edward VII Sweet Pea

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 here.

A King not just for Cutting

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.

Features of King Edward VII Sweet Peas

Colour: mid-red but uniform
Stem: short but strong
Height: 1.5 m
Type: Old Fashioned Heritage
Scent: astonishing
Flowering: May to August
Planting Months: March-April
Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit

Longevity

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!

King Edward VII Sweet Peas do best in good, 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 30 cm apart and about 5 cm from their supports. 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.

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Delivery: Our standard delivery charges are:

Small box (Orders containing only seedlings or rooted cuttings) £7.20 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Standard box (Bareroots up to 1.2m) £11.40 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Large box (Pots up to and incl. 7.5L) £15.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £100 inc VAT)
Trees & Hedging (Bareroots & trees 1.2m+) £18.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £120 inc VAT)
Pallets (Root balls, large pots, trees etc) £60.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £240 inc VAT)

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week in summer if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	RHS AGM
Shade	Full Sun
Area	Coastal Areas, Frost Pockets, Scotland & The North
Soil	Good, Well Drained
Colour	Red/Crimson
Type	Rootrained, Seedling
Also Good	Fragrant, Repeat Flowering
Flowering	May, Jun, Jul, Aug

	Buy 2 or more seedling packs and save

SIZES	1	2-4	5+
Pack of 4	Available to order from early July - do come back then £7.25	Available to order from early July - do come back then£5.50	Available to order from early July - do come back then£5.32
	Prices include VAT

King Edward VII Sweet Pea Seedlings

Lathyrus odoratus King Edward VII

King Edward VII Sweet Pea

A King not just for Cutting

Features of King Edward VII Sweet Peas

Longevity

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April
Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?

Why I love hazelnuts. Or should that be cobnuts?

LATEST VIDEO

Sign up!

King Edward VII Sweet Pea Seedlings

Lathyrus odoratus King Edward VII

King Edward VII Sweet Pea

A King not just for Cutting

Features of King Edward VII Sweet Peas

Longevity

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?

Why I love hazelnuts. Or should that be cobnuts?

LATEST VIDEO

Sign up!

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April
Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?