Brook Hall Sweet Pea Plants

• Variety: Brook Hall
• Type: Spencer
• Colour: Cream opening to pure white
• Scent: 3/5 (Parsons) – clean and sweet, strongest in the evening
• Flowers: Medium-large, well-waved – wavier than most white Spencers. 3–4 per stem
• Stems: Up to 30cm, straight – good for cutting
• Height: 2m (6–7ft) with support
• Flowering: June to September with regular picking
• RHS AGM: No
• Sold as: Jumbo plug plants, hand-sown by us
• Plant outdoors: After last frost
• Delivered: March to May by next-day courier

Brook Hall – A Quiet Performer with Real Stamina

Brook Hall has the kind of reputation that spreads through allotment fence conversations rather than magazine features. It is a cream-becoming-white Spencer – the buds open a warm cream and mature over several days to a clean, pure white – with uncommonly wavy petals and a long, reliable season. Not the first variety anyone reaches for, but the one that keeps people coming back once they have grown it.

The flowers are medium-large with petal waving that is more pronounced than most white Spencers, which gives each bloom a generous, slightly ruffled look. Three or four per stem is standard, carried on straight stems up to 30cm long – plenty for the vase. Scent is clean and sweet, strongest in the evening and early morning. Not in the same league as the Grandiflora heavyweights, but noticeably better than some whites that offer good looks and nothing else.

A White That Works Hard

White sweet peas are the workhorses of a mixed display – they break up clashing colours, cool down a hot scheme, and make everything around them look more deliberate. Brook Hall does this well because it carries enough petals per stem to have real presence. A white variety with two blooms per stem looks thin. Three or four looks abundant, and abundance is what you want from a sweet pea on a wigwam or in a small vase.

The cream-to-white transition means Brook Hall mixes differently depending on when you cut. Young stems lean warm and sit well with pinks and peaches. Mature stems lean cool and work better alongside blues and lavenders. If you are growing for an event, cut at the stage you want and condition the stems in a cool place overnight. A single bunch in water will show both shades at once – cream at the top where the youngest blooms sit, white further down.

Pairing Ideas

White plays well at both ends of the spectrum. For drama, pair Brook Hall with Heathcliff – deep maroon against fresh white is the kind of combination that makes people stop and look twice. For something softer, Anniversary (pink flushed with lavender) or Noel Sutton (violet-blue) alongside Brook Hall makes a cool-toned trio that suits a cottage garden perfectly.

In a cutting garden, grow Brook Hall alongside cosmos – Purity or Daydream would make beautiful companions through summer. The two plants flower at the same time and sit happily together in a mixed bunch. For full growing advice, see our sweet pea growing guide.

Why Buy Your Sweet Pea Seedlings from Ashridge?

We 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.

We 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What colour are Brook Hall sweet pea flowers?

They open a soft cream and mature over several days to a clean, pure white. A stem in water will show both stages – cream at the top where the youngest blooms sit, white further down. The overall effect is brighter and more interesting than a flat white.

How scented is Brook Hall?

Clean and carrying – a pleasant, sweet fragrance that sits at about 3 on the Parsons scale. Strongest in the evening and early morning. Not a powerhouse, but enough to enjoy from a bunch on the table or when you are cutting in the garden.

Can I grow Brook Hall in a container?

Yes. Allow a minimum of 4 litres of compost per plant in a tall pot, and do not let the compost dry out – water every morning in warm spells, twice on hot days. Feed with tomato feed or comfrey tea once buds start forming.

Do sweet peas come back every year?

No. Sweet peas are annuals – one season, from spring to early autumn, and then they are done. There is a perennial sweet pea, but it carries no scent and is a different plant entirely. New plants each year is the trade-off for the fragrance. See our full sweet pea collection for this season's range.

Are sweet peas safe around pets?

The plants and flowers are not toxic, but the seeds contain lathyrin, which is mildly poisonous if eaten in quantity. Keep dried pods away from dogs, cats, and small children. In practice, most pets ignore them entirely – but it is worth knowing.