{"product_id":"anniversary-sweet-pea-plants","title":"Anniversary Sweet Pea Plants","description":"\u003cul class=\"pdp-specs\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e Anniversary\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spencer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColour:\u003c\/strong\u003e White with rose-pink picotee edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3\/5 (Parsons) — gentle sweetness, noticeable at close range\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Large, well-waved. 4–5 per stem, occasionally 6\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStems:\u003c\/strong\u003e Long and straight — above average for a Spencer, good for exhibition and cutting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2m (6–7ft) with support\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowering:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late June to October — significantly longer season than most sweet peas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRHS AGM:\u003c\/strong\u003e No (not yet trialled, despite widespread use)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShow class:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spencer — NSPS Class 15\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBred by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bill Truslove, introduced by Marchant, 1986\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\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAnniversary – The Sweet Pea That Keeps Going\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnniversary has a reputation for flowering longer than almost any other sweet pea variety. Specialist growers report pickable stems from late June well into October in a good year, which is a full month or more beyond what most Spencers manage. Sarah Raven has described it as flowering for twice as long as other varieties, and while that may overstate things slightly, the extended season is real and consistent. If you want sweet peas in the house right through the autumn, Anniversary is the one to grow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe colour is a clean white ground with a broad rose-pink flush along the edges of the standard and wings – a picotee pattern that varies in intensity from flower to flower. Some blooms are predominantly white with a blush of pink; others carry more colour. The effect is soft, romantic, and endlessly useful in arrangements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBreeding and Background\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnniversary was raised by Bill Truslove and introduced commercially by Marchant in 1986. Truslove was a dedicated amateur breeder whose varieties have proved unusually durable – Anniversary is approaching forty years in cultivation and shows no sign of falling from favour. It is one of the most exhibited sweet peas in the country, popular both on the show bench and in amateur competitions where it frequently wins its class. It does not hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit, which is perhaps surprising for a variety this well established. The AGM is awarded through formal trials and not every worthy variety has been put forward. Its absence from the list does nothing to diminish its standing among growers who have planted it year after year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMaking the Most of the Long Season\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnniversary's extended flowering season is its greatest asset, but you have to work with the plant to get the full benefit. Daily picking or deadheading is essential – more so than with shorter-season varieties, because there is a little more time for seed pods to form and shut down flowering. If you go on holiday in August and leave Anniversary to its own devices for a fortnight, you will come back to a plant covered in pods and very few new buds. However, if you stay on top of the deadheading, then by late August, when other sweet peas are tiring, Anniversary will still be producing strongly. Give it a generous feed at this point and continue watering well. The autumn flowers are typically smaller than midsummer's but still perfectly good for cutting, and the lateness of the season means fewer competing blooms in the garden – your sweet peas will have the stage to themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor full planting and care instructions, see 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\u003ePlanting Companions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe white-and-pink colouring makes Anniversary one of the most versatile sweet peas for mixed planting. It sits well alongside almost any colour. For a sophisticated scheme, grow it with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/almost-black-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAlmost Black\u003c\/a\u003e (deep maroon Modern Grandiflora) and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/white-supreme-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eWhite Supreme\u003c\/a\u003e (pure white Spencer). The contrast between the dark, the blush, and the clean white is striking without being garish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/flora-norton-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFlora Norton\u003c\/a\u003e (bright blue Grandiflora) provides a colour contrast that works beautifully in a mixed bunch – the blue against the pink picotee is a classic florist's combination. If you are growing Anniversary on an obelisk or against a wall, consider underplanting with something from our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/dahlia-tubers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003edahlia collection\u003c\/a\u003e. A warm-toned variety like David Howard or Bishop of Llandaff picks up where the sweet peas leave off in autumn, and the two overlap through August and September.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Buy Your Sweet Pea Seedlings from Ashridge?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe have been growing sweet peas in Somerset since the early 2000s. The seed - which we collect - is hand-sown at two seeds per plug and 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\u003eWe send your sweet peas out by next-day courier between March and May, packed in purpose-designed recycled cardboard packaging. The moment they arrive, they are ready to go into the ground or a container. If anything is not right, we have real people on the phone in Somerset who will sort it out. 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\u003eDoes Anniversary hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnniversary has not been through the formal AGM trial process, despite being one of the most widely grown and exhibited Spencers in the UK. Its absence from the list says more about the trial system than about the variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow long does it flower?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTypically from late June into October in a good year, which is significantly longer than most sweet peas. Daily picking and regular feeding are essential to maintain the display through late summer and autumn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIs it good for exhibition?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVery good. Long stems, consistent flower form, and a high bloom count per stem make it a regular winner on the show bench. The extended season also means fresh stems are available later in the year than most exhibition varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIs Anniversary fragrant?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scent is pleasant rather than powerful – a gentle sweetness you notice when cutting or leaning close. A big handful in a small room is noticeable. Anniversary earns its place on season length and sheer flower production rather than perfume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDoes Anniversary come back each year?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSweet peas are hardy annuals – one season, then done. The upside is that you get to choose fresh varieties each spring. Browse our full range in the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003esweet pea collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Ashridge","offers":[{"title":"Seedling \/ 4 Jumbo Plugs","offer_id":54999106486598,"sku":"LATHODOANN-Pack of 4","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0947\/0351\/8022\/files\/anniversary-sweet-pea-flowers.jpg?v=1755385725","url":"https:\/\/www.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/products\/anniversary-sweet-pea-plants","provider":"Ashridge Nurseries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}