Pink Pearl Sweet Peas

​Lathyrus odoratus Pink Pearl

Pink Pearl is an annual sweet pea in the prettiest, softest shade of pink. It opens from white buds with just a touch of pink to a lovely flower with delicately waved petals and a rich perfume, a classic Spencer type, on long, strong stems. If you fancy planting some stronger colours, or some of the old heritage varieties, there are plenty of options in our range of sweet pea seedlings. Like all sweet peas, Pink Pearl needs a good support network to clamber up. Provide this in the form of a wigwam of canes or hazel, a tall obelisk or a even a pergola. Do tie or wind in the shoots to begin with to help plants get a good hold, then they'll romp away. Pink Pearl will flower from June to September, or even later if you make sure it doesn't set seed. Pick the flowers to bring indoors – its long, strong stems mean it works well in vases. As the flowers on the plant fade, deadhead them and you'll be rewarded with an even longer display.

Strings of pearls

So what plants combine well with Sweet Pea Pink Pearl? Firstly, other sweet peas. A border full of colourful sweet peas is a sight to see, and the scent will knock your socks off, too. Pastel colours like Pink Pearl look great with other cool pinks, purples and blues, such as lavender blue Our Harry. Or try growing it with pale pink and lilac Turquoise Lagooon: it's a match made in paradise. Always find them a sunny spot, and keep them really well watered (this is the trick to avoiding mildew). In dry weather, a good soaking in the evening is the best way to do this. Of course sweet peas combine wonderfully with any of the classic English garden favourites, such as lady's mantle, roses, lupins, lavender and cosmos, to create a rich tapestry of colour and scent in beds and borders. You can grow annual sweet peas in pots, too. There are a few rules you need to follow, the first being to never let the pots dry out, and the second being to start off with good, rich compost, and feed during the flowering season. Obviously, they'll need supports to climb up. Finally, a wigwam of sweet peas in a vegetable bed is a good idea. It'll attract pollinators, look gorgeous and quite possibly fix nitrogen in the soil (see below).

Features of ​Lathyrus odoratus Pink Pearl Sweet peas

• Colour: pastel pink
• Stem: long
• Height: 1.8m
• Type: Spencer
• Scent: strong
• Flowering: June to September
• Planting Months: March-April

Need a little nitrogen?

We've long believed that the root nodules in pea and bean plants 'fix' nitrogen in the soil. However, in an episode of Gardeners' Question Time a few years back, Chris Beardshaw said that in fact only about 3% of the plant's nitrogen remains once the plant has flowered. Not everyone agrees with this figure, but perhaps it's worth experimenting? Let us know what you discover…