{"product_id":"albutt-blue-sweet-pea-plants","title":"Albutt Blue Sweet Pea Plants","description":"\u003cul class=\"pdp-specs\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e Albutt Blue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Semi-Grandiflora\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Palest lavender-blue with navy picotee edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Strong, 5\/5 (Parsons) – one of the most powerfully scented in our range\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Larger than a true Grandiflora, with a distinctive inked edge. 4–5 per stem\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStems:\u003c\/strong\u003e Good length for cutting – not exhibition-straight, but reliable\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5–1.8m (5–6ft) with support\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowering:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late June to September with regular picking\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRHS AGM:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes (2000)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShow class:\u003c\/strong\u003e Semi-Grandiflora (NSPS)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBred by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harvey Albutt \/ Eagle Nurseries, 1999\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSold as:\u003c\/strong\u003e Jumbo plug plants, hand-sown by us\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlant outdoors:\u003c\/strong\u003e After last frost\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDelivered:\u003c\/strong\u003e March to May by next-day courier. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/collect-your-order-from-castle-cary\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCollection from Castle Cary\u003c\/a\u003e also available\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAlbutt Blue – The Picotee with a Reputation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe flowers are the palest lavender-blue, almost white in some lights, with a crisp rim of navy tracing every petal edge. This is a picotee pattern, and it gives the blooms a delicacy that photographs rarely capture. In reality they look hand-painted. The colour does not fade or wash out over the life of each flower, which is unusual for a pale variety and part of why Albutt Blue has held the RHS Award of Garden Merit since 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThen there is the scent. Roger Parsons rates Albutt Blue 5 out of 5, and English Sweet Peas gave it an unprecedented 6 on the same scale. One small bunch perfumes a room. As a Semi-Grandiflora it sits between the old heritage types and the modern Spencers, combining the intense fragrance of the Grandifloras with larger flowers and longer stems. The name is not a pun on the colour. It was raised by a Mr Harvey Albutt, and Eagle Nurseries in Somerset had the good sense to introduce it in 1999.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMore Than a Cutting Flower\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMost sweet peas earn their keep in a vase, but Albutt Blue is worth growing for the garden alone. As a Semi-Grandiflora it flowers from the base upward, so you see blooms from head to foot rather than just at the top of the plant. On a patio obelisk it is at nose height for much of the display, which is exactly where you want a variety with this much scent. A pot by a back door, a wigwam next to a bench, an arch over a path: give it a position where people pass close enough to notice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFull planting and care instructions are in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/bedding\/how-to-grow-sweet-peas\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003esweet pea growing guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat to Grow Alongside Albutt Blue\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/lord-nelson-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLord Nelson\u003c\/a\u003e (deep navy-violet Grandiflora, scent 5) is the classic pairing. Its saturated colour picks up the picotee edge and amplifies it. For a heritage combination with extraordinary combined scent, try \u003ca href=\"\/products\/matucana-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMatucana\u003c\/a\u003e (maroon-and-violet Modern Grandiflora) alongside. For contrast, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/jilly-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJilly\u003c\/a\u003e (warm ivory-cream Spencer, AGM) does something unexpected with the blue. All three are strongly scented, so the combined effect on a warm evening is exceptional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the foot of the supports, a ribbon of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/lavender-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003elavender\u003c\/a\u003e makes a natural companion. Hidcote or Munstead in full flower while the sweet peas are at their peak gives you two layers of scent and a blue-on-blue planting that looks deliberate even when it was accidental.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Choose Ashridge Sweet Pea Plugs?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOur sweet peas are not mass-produced. The seed, which we collect ourselves, is hand-sown at two seeds per plug in our Somerset polytunnel. After germination, the weaker seedling is removed. Every plant is then pinched out to encourage bushy growth and hardened off before dispatch. What you are buying are sturdy, garden-ready jumbo plug plants that have had the best possible start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYour sweet peas go out by next-day courier between March and May, packed in purpose-designed recycled cardboard packaging. They arrive ready for the ground or a container. We have real people on the phone in Somerset who will sort out anything that is not right. We hold a Feefo Platinum Service Award and have been named a Which? Best Buy plant supplier – endorsements that came from our customers, not our marketing team.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIs Albutt Blue really the most scented sweet pea?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoger Parsons rates it 5 out of 5, and English Sweet Peas gave it an unprecedented 6 on their equivalent scale. In our experience, only \u003ca href=\"\/products\/kings-high-scent-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKing's High Scent\u003c\/a\u003e and Matucana come close, and they are quite different flowers. If scent is your priority, Albutt Blue is a safe bet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat type of sweet pea is Albutt Blue?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Semi-Grandiflora, which sits between the old heritage types and the modern Spencers. It inherits the powerful scent and vigour of the Grandifloras while also producing larger flowers and longer stems. The NSPS classifies it in the Semi-Grandiflora group, which means exhibitors enter it in a separate section from the Spencers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDoes Albutt Blue hold the RHS AGM?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, awarded in 2000 and still current. Twenty-five years of continuous recognition, which reflects a variety that performs well across different soils, seasons, and parts of the country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I grow Albutt Blue in a container?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA good choice for pots, particularly near a doorway or bench where you can enjoy the scent. Allow 4 litres of compost per plant in a deep container with drainage. Keep the compost consistently moist and feed fortnightly with a high-potash liquid once buds appear. At 1.8m it needs a sturdy support but is more manageable than a full-sized Spencer. Our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/bedding\/growing-sweet-peas-in-pots\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003epots guide\u003c\/a\u003e covers the detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDo Albutt Blue sweet peas come back every year?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSweet peas are hardy annuals that complete their life cycle in a single season. At the end of summer, cut the stems at ground level but leave the roots in the soil. As legumes, sweet peas fix nitrogen through root nodules, so whatever follows them gets a natural boost. Our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003esweet pea collection\u003c\/a\u003e offers Albutt Blue and over thirty other varieties each spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Ashridge","offers":[{"title":"Seedling \/ 4 Jumbo Plugs","offer_id":54999098360134,"sku":"LATHODOALBBL-Pack of 4","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0947\/0351\/8022\/files\/albutt-blue-sweet-pea-flowers.jpg?v=1755542935","url":"https:\/\/www.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/products\/albutt-blue-sweet-pea-plants","provider":"Ashridge Nurseries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}