Albutt Blue Sweet Pea Plants

About Albutt Blue Sweet Peas

Albutt Blue is a Modern Grandiflora sweet pea. So it combines the intense fragrance and prolific flowering of the old heritage types with the longer stems and larger blooms you get from the Spencers. Strong enough to perfume a whole room; elegant enough to hold its own in a taller vase.

The flowers are the palest lavender-blue - almost white in some light - with a crisp rim of navy blue tracing every petal edge. This is called a picotee pattern, and it imparts a delicacy that photographs rarely capture. The blooms are borne in clusters on long, straight stems, making Albutt Blue one of the best sweet peas for cutting.

Then there is the scent. Albutt Blue is generally regarded as one of the most fragrant sweet peas available. One small bunch perfumes an entire room. English Sweet Peas, who know their subject, gave it an unprecedented 6/5 scent rating (no misprint).

Where Should I Plant Albutt Blue Sweet Peas?

Full sun is best - at least six hours a day - with shelter from strong wind so those long stems stay intact. The soil should be rich and moisture-retentive; work in plenty of well-rotted organic matter in the autumn before planting, though doing it on the day is far better than not at all.

Don't just relegate Albutt Blue to the cutting garden. It is not too tall, and as a Modern Grandiflora, it carries flowers from head to foot, making it look fantastic in a pot on a terrace - where you can sit nearby and enjoy that extraordinary scent, maybe on a swing seat, with a cup of tea and a book you won't actually read... The only caveat with containers is that you must keep watering. Sweet peas can also intertwine happily with other climbers. Try Albutt Blue scrambling up an established wisteria or threading through a rambling rose on a pergola.

Growing and Aftercare

Sweet peas are spectacularly thirsty plants. Water deeply after planting and never let the soil dry out completely. Once buds begin forming, feed every 7-10 days with a high-potash fertiliser - home-made comfrey liquid is ideal, or Tomorite will do the job, especially on lighter soils.

After watering, the single most important thing you can do for Albutt Blue is pick the flowers. Pick them, and then pick them again. If you let seed pods form, the plant decides its work is done and stops flowering. Keep cutting and deadheading, and you will have blooms from June well into September.

Everything else - support structures, training, spacing, and a month-by-month calendar - is in our sweet pea growing guide.

The Story Behind Albutt Blue

Albutt Blue is not a pun on the flower being mainly not blue. It was raised by a Mr Harvey Albutt, and Eagle Nurseries had the good sense to introduce it commercially in 1999. It has remained at the top of the sweet pea charts ever since - a remarkable run for any variety, let alone one that competes against hundreds of newer introductions every year.

The picotee rim invites companion planting. We think Lord Nelson picks Albutt Blue up by the bootstraps - its deep navy-violet is the darker half of Albutt Blue's own colour story. For a heritage-only combination, try Matucana alongside; the rich maroon-and-violet against that pale lavender is genuinely striking, and the combined scent is remarkable.

Why Buy Your Sweet Peas from Ashridge?

All our sweet peas are grown from seed on our nursery in Castle Cary, Somerset, and we increasingly use our own saved seed to ensure named varieties come true to type. We use only jumbo plugs, which are deeper and better suited to root development than standard plugs. Every seed is hand-sown at a rate of two per plug, and these are grown on in our polytunnels until the seedlings have fully rooted through. Each one is then pinched out at least once to produce a bushier, multi-stemmed plant that will carry more flowers.

On the day of dispatch, your plants are hand-selected in our polytunnel, packed into purpose-designed recycled cardboard packaging, and sent out the same day by next-day courier. They arrive hardened off and ready to be planted directly into the ground. No greenhouse acclimatisation is needed.

We've been growing and selling plants since 1949, and by mail order since 2003. We hold the Feefo Platinum Service Award and were named a Which? Gardening Best Plant Supplier; both are independent recognitions of the quality and service our customers receive. So, if anything at all is wrong with your seedlings when they arrive, contact us within five working days, and we'll put it right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Albutt Blue really the most scented sweet pea?

It is certainly among the strongest. English Sweet Peas, who trial extensively, gave it a scent rating that exceeded their own maximum score. In our experience, only King's High Scent and Matucana come close, and they are quite different flowers. If scent is your priority, Albutt Blue is a safe bet.

What type of sweet pea is Albutt Blue?

It is a Modern Grandiflora - sometimes called a semi-grandiflora. This means it inherits the powerful scent and vigour of the old heritage Grandifloras while also producing the larger flowers and longer stems associated with Spencer varieties. It is, in practical terms, the best of both worlds.

Can I grow Albutt Blue sweet peas in pots?

Yes, and it suits container growing particularly well because its flowers appear from the base upward, so you see the whole plant rather than just the top. Use a pot of at least 3-4 litres per plant with a rich planting mix; insert a support before planting; and water daily in warm weather. Full container details are in our growing guide.

Which sweet peas look good planted with Albutt Blue?

Lord Nelson is the classic pairing - its deep navy-violet amplifies Albutt Blue's picotee edge beautifully. For contrast, try Jilly (warm apricot-pink) or Matucana (rich maroon-and-violet). All three are strongly scented, so the combined effect is exceptional.

When will my Albutt Blue plants be delivered?

We dispatch sweet pea seedlings between March and May. Once you place your order, we will email you with the likely delivery window, and again when the plants are on their way. They travel by next-day courier and arrive ready to plant.

Do Albutt Blue sweet peas come back every year?

No. Sweet peas are hardy annuals and complete their life cycle in a single season. You will need fresh plants or seed each spring. At the end of the season, cut the stems at ground level but leave the roots in the soil - as legumes, sweet peas fix nitrogen that feeds whatever you grow there next.

What does picotee mean?

Picotee describes a flower where the petal edges are a different colour from the main body. In Albutt Blue's case, the petals are the palest lavender-blue with a distinct rim of darker navy tracing every edge. The effect is subtle and rather beautiful - more noticeable in life than in photographs.