Almost Black Sweet Pea Plants

Almost Black . The Darkest Sweet Pea?

Almost Black is the darkest sweet pea you can grow. It is a Modern Grandiflora bred by Dr Keith Hammett in New Zealand - the same breeder responsible for Erewhon - and it lives up to its name. In certain light the flowers appear black; move a few degrees and the deep maroon base emerges, shot through with violet and navy. This is a flower that shifts and changes depending on when you look at it. The blooms are smaller and simpler than those of a Spencer - unwaved petals in the old-fashioned Grandiflora style, but that restraint suits the colour. A bigger, frillier flower would dilute the intensity. What you get instead is a saturated, deeply pigmented flower carried in profusion on a vigorous, free-flowering plant.

Scent is rated 3 out of 5 on the Roger Parsons scale: a sweet, warm fragrance that is stronger than you might expect from such a dark flower. Plant it where you can bury your nose in the blooms on a warm evening and you will understand why people grow this variety so widely.

Planting Almost Black

Full sun and rich soil, as with all sweet peas. Six hours of direct light minimum, and the more you can give it, the more flowers you will get. Shelter from strong wind keeps the stems intact. Almost Black deserves a position against a light background. Plant it in front of a pale stone wall, a white-painted fence, or underplanted with silver foliage like Stachys byzantina (lamb's ears) or Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. Against anything dark it simply vanishes. This is a variety that needs contrast to perform.

In containers it works well, though allow around 4 litres per plant and use a rich mix. A single pot of Almost Black on a sunlit patio table is rather dramatic.

Getting the Best from Almost Black

The flowers are smaller than Spencers, so you will want to cut generously for arranging. Gather a decent handful rather than expecting three stems to fill a vase. They look extraordinary mixed with white sweet peas: try Jilly or White Supreme for maximum contrast.

Feed fortnightly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser from the first buds. Water deeply and regularly. Pick and deadhead without mercy. This applies to every sweet pea, but Almost Black is vigorous enough to reward the effort with a long succession of bloom.

Full planting and training advice is in our sweet pea growing guide.

Companions for Almost Black

White is the obvious partner and the best one. The contrast between near-black and pure white is startling in a way that photographs cannot capture - you need to see it in the garden. Jilly (ivory Spencer, AGM) or White Supreme both work.

For something less predictable, try Almost Black with Restormel (cerise scarlet) - two strong colours that fizz against each other rather than fight. Or go dark on dark: Almost Black alongside Windsor (chocolate maroon Spencer) gives you two different textures and two subtly different darks on the same support.

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 Almost Black actually black?

Not quite, but it is the closest any sweet pea has come. The base colour is an extremely deep maroon overlaid with violet and navy tones. In low light or at dusk it can look black; in bright sunshine the maroon shows through. The colour shifts constantly, which is part of its appeal.

Why are the flowers smaller than my Spencer sweet peas?

Almost Black is a Modern Grandiflora with unwaved, old-fashioned style petals. These are naturally more compact than the large, ruffled flowers of Spencer types. The trade-off is intensity - the smaller bloom concentrates the colour and the plant produces far more flowers overall. Think of it as quality of colour over size of petal.

How strongly scented is it?

Rated 3 out of 5 on the Parsons scale - a warm, sweet fragrance that carries surprisingly well for such a dark-flowered variety. Not as intense as Matucana or Albutt Blue, but very much present and especially noticeable when you bring stems indoors.

Does Almost Black hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit?

No. It has not been included in RHS sweet pea trials. Its reputation rests on its unique colour and its consistent performance in gardens and on the show bench.

What should I grow it with?

White varieties provide the most dramatic contrast - Jilly or White Supreme are both excellent. See the companions section above for more pairing ideas.

Will it come back next year?

No. Like all annual sweet peas, Almost Black completes its life cycle in one season. Plant fresh each spring from seed or from our jumbo plug seedlings. When the season ends, leave the roots in the ground - they fix nitrogen that enriches the soil for the following year's planting.

Who bred Almost Black?

Dr Keith Hammett, a plant breeder based in Auckland, New Zealand. Hammett is responsible for some of the most interesting sweet pea introductions of recent decades, including Erewhon and Turquoise Lagoon. Almost Black is one of his darkest-coloured releases.