{"product_id":"high-society-sweet-pea-plants","title":"High Society Sweet Pea Plants","description":"\u003c!-- EXPERT: High Society type classification. Multiple sources (including Hammett's own website and Australian Sweet Pea Specialists) describe it as a Spencer. However, Hammett is primarily known for Modern Grandiflora breeding, and his site groups it among newer introductions developed from the High Scent line. The flowers are described as \"waved\" with Spencer form, which would make it a Spencer. But its parentage from the Modern Grandiflora High Scent line might warrant a different classification. Please confirm: Spencer or something else? Currently using Spencer. --\u003e\n\u003c!-- EXPERT: High Society scent rating. English Sweet Peas gives 4\/5. Somerset Sweet Peas gives Scent 4. Floret Flowers calls it \"one of the most fragrant varieties we grow.\" Using 4 (ESP confirmed). Please confirm Parsons rating if available. --\u003e\n\u003c!-- EXPERT: NSPS classification. High Society does NOT appear in the NSPS 2025–26 PDF in our project files. However, Somerset Sweet Peas (a specialist exhibitor\/grower) lists it as \"NSPS Classification 15a Picotee (Cream Ground)\". This may reflect a pending or regional classification. Using 15a per Somerset SP. Please confirm. --\u003e\n\u003c!-- EXPERT: Early flowering. Hammett describes High Society as \"winter flowering\" (flowers on shorter day lengths). Somerset Sweet Peas warns \"This is an early flowering sweet pea, and needs to be sown in early October for best results.\" They say it can flower in an unheated greenhouse from April onwards, or 2–3 weeks earlier than normal outdoors if autumn-sown. In the PDP I've noted the early-flowering trait briefly. Please confirm whether to expand or simplify this. --\u003e\n\n\u003cul class=\"pdp-specs\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVariety:\u003c\/strong\u003e High Society\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 Cream ground with crisp pink picotee edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eScent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Strong. 4 (ESP) — from the High Scent breeding line\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Waved, frilly blooms. 5–7 per stem, creamy buds with pink margin deepening as flowers open\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStems:\u003c\/strong\u003e Long, strong, excellent for 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 September with regular picking\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRHS AGM:\u003c\/strong\u003e No\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShow class:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spencer — NSPS Class 15a, Picotee (Cream Ground)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBred by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dr Keith Hammett (NZ)\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\u003eHigh Society – Scented Picotee from the World's Best Breeder\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHigh Society is a cream-ground picotee with a crisp pink edge, bred by Dr Keith Hammett in New Zealand. That name matters. Hammett bred High Scent, which is widely regarded as the most fragrant sweet pea in existence, and High Society is its waved, Spencer-flowered descendant. The flowers are larger, the stems are longer, and the pink picotee marking gives it a refinement that High Scent never had. But the scent is still there, powerful and warm, the kind that stops you on the path and makes you lean in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe blooms open from creamy yellow buds, the pink margin intensifying as each flower matures. Five to seven per stem is typical, carried on long straight stalks that cut beautifully. High Society is an early-flowering type, which means it can start producing blooms ahead of standard summer Spencers, especially if autumn-sown. Florists and wedding flower growers have taken to it immediately, and it is easy to see why. A bunch of High Society in a glass jug looks expensive without trying. The colour is subtle enough to sit with anything, the form is elegant, and the scent fills a room. For full growing guidance, 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\u003eThe Hammett Difference\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKeith Hammett is probably the greatest living sweet pea breeder. Working from his garden in Auckland, he has spent decades crossing species and selecting for colour, form, and above all scent. His High Scent set the benchmark; his Erewhon and Matucana crosses brought the ancestral bicolour markings back into modern gardens; and his colour-shifting varieties like Blue Shift are unlike anything else in cultivation. High Society represents the next step: a Spencer-flowered sweet pea with genuine Hammett-level fragrance. Most Spencers sacrifice scent for flower size. High Society refuses to make that trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting Companions for High Society\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/anniversary-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAnniversary\u003c\/a\u003e (white ground with blue picotee, AGM) is the obvious partner. Two picotee sweet peas side by side, one edged pink and one edged blue, make a planting that looks carefully chosen. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/mollie-rilstone-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMollie Rilstone\u003c\/a\u003e (cream ground with pink edge, AGM) takes the pink theme further and adds the endorsement of an AGM to the vase. For contrast, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/blue-velvet-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBlue Velvet\u003c\/a\u003e (deep navy Spencer, AGM) grounds the pastels with something dark and serious.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHigh Society's pale, elegant flowers also work well alongside \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/clematis-climbing-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eclematis\u003c\/a\u003e on a shared wall or fence. A mid-season clematis like Nelly Moser (pink-striped) picks up the pink picotee of High Society, and the two plants flower at the same time without competing for space. The sweet pea threads through the clematis stems, the clematis provides structure, and the overall effect is more than either plant achieves alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Grow Ashridge Sweet Peas?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery one of our sweet pea plugs starts life in our Somerset polytunnel. The seed, which we collect ourselves, is hand-sown at two seeds per plug. 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 order travels by next-day courier between March and May, packed in purpose-designed recycled cardboard packaging. Ready to plant the moment you open the box. 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 are a Which? Best Buy plant supplier, recognition earned by our customers, not by our marketing department.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow strong is the scent of High Society?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHigh Society is one of the most strongly scented sweet peas in our range. It comes from Dr Keith Hammett's High Scent breeding line, which was developed specifically for fragrance. The scent is warm, honeyed, and powerful enough to fill a room from a small bunch. Among Spencer-flowered varieties, very few match it for intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho bred High Society?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDr Keith Hammett, a plant breeder based in Auckland, New Zealand. Hammett has spent decades developing sweet peas with stronger scent, unusual colours, and new forms. He bred High Scent (the world benchmark for sweet pea fragrance), \u003ca href=\"\/products\/matucana-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMatucana\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/erewhon-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eErewhon\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/almost-black-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAlmost Black\u003c\/a\u003e, among many others. High Society is one of his newer introductions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIs High Society a good cut flower?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the best in the range for cutting. The long straight stems carry 5–7 blooms each, the colour is subtle enough for any arrangement, and the scent adds something no other cut flower can. Wedding florists have adopted it quickly because the cream-and-pink picotee suits bridal work without looking old-fashioned. Pick when the lowest flower on the stem is fully open and the top bud is still closed. Expect 4–5 days in the vase with flower food.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow does High Society compare to Anniversary?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/anniversary-sweet-pea-plants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAnniversary\u003c\/a\u003e is a white-ground picotee edged with blue, and it holds the RHS AGM. High Society is a cream-ground picotee edged with pink, from the Hammett breeding programme. Anniversary has a more restrained scent; High Society is significantly more fragrant. Both are excellent cut flowers. If you want exhibition credentials and a proven track record, choose Anniversary. If scent is your priority and you want something with a pink tone, choose High Society. Growing both together is no bad thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eIs High Society an annual?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll sweet peas are annuals. High Society flowers from late June to September, then finishes for the year. At the end of the season, cut the stems at ground level but leave the roots in the soil. Sweet peas are legumes and their root nodules fix nitrogen, giving whatever you plant next a natural fertility boost. For fresh plants each spring, browse our \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":56131368288582,"sku":"LATHODOHIGHS-Pack of 4","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0947\/0351\/8022\/files\/high-society-sweet-pea-flowers.webp?v=1773141636","url":"https:\/\/www.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/products\/high-society-sweet-pea-plants","provider":"Ashridge Nurseries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}