Jilly Sweet Pea Plants

Jilly – The One That Makes Everything Else Look Better

If you could grow only one sweet pea variety, many experienced growers would choose Jilly. She is not the showiest or the most powerfully scented or the most dramatically coloured sweet pea, but what Jilly offers instead is absolute reliability, cream flowers of exceptional quality, a lovely fragrance, long sturdy stems, an RHS Award of Garden Merit held continuously since 1994, and a knack for making every other sweet pea nearby look better. When we (Mr & Mrs Ashridge) are picking sweet peas for the house, Jilly is always the first into the basket as she is the base for our kitchen jam jar arrangements.

The blooms are a soft ivory-cream – buds open with a faint yellow warmth that matures to pale creamy white. Petals are broadly waved, elegantly frilled, and large enough to win on the show bench. The NSPS classifies Jilly under Class 2, Cream and Ivory. Graham Rice, one of that rare breed of garden writers who are popular on both sides of the Atlantic, thinks it is one of the finest varieties available.

Why Cream Matters

Cream sweet peas are the connective tissue of any mixed display. They calm clashing neighbours, flatter darker varieties, soften hot pinks, and look beautiful in a plain jug on their own. If you are growing several varieties together and want coherence rather than chaos, Jilly is the plant that pulls the scheme together. That understated role is actually its greatest strength. Jilly has accumulated over thirty years of continuous AGM recognition and a long exhibition record without ever attracting the kind of breathless attention that louder colours command. It simply does its job, season after season, without fuss. In footballing terms this is a world-class holding midfielder.

Scent, Scale, and Season

Fragrance rates 4 to 5 out of 5 on the Parsons scale, placing Jilly among the more powerfully perfumed Spencers. The scent is sweet and clean, without the clove-like spiciness of some heritage types. A cut bunch on a bedside table almost guarantees a good night's sleep.

Plants reach 2–2.2m (around 7ft) with good support. Flower size averages 6.5cm across – generous for a Spencer. Stems are long and straight, consistently so, which is one reason judges favour it. Flowering runs from late spring to autumn in a good year, provided you keep cutting and prevent those blooming pods (pun intended) from developing.

Growing Jilly

Full sun, rich moisture-retentive soil, and support in position before your seedlings go in. Space plants 10-15cm apart and plant the plug deep; to the level of the first side shoot.

In containers, 4–5 litres per plant minimum. Pots dry out quickly and need daily attention in warm spells. Feed every fortnight with a potash-rich liquid once buds show – a home-brewed comfrey feed or any proprietary tomato fertiliser will do. Sweet peas fix atmospheric nitrogen through their roots, so a high-nitrogen feed is unnecessary and counterproductive. The single most important task is consistent picking. Sweet peas exist to set seed, and once pods begin to form the plant diverts its energy away from flowering. Cut generously, deadhead what you cannot use, and Jilly will keep producing for months. Our sweet pea growing guide covers the whole process in detail.

What to Grow Alongside Jilly

Jilly flatters almost anything, which is why it appears in pairing suggestions throughout our range. A few specific combinations worth trying: with Charlie’s Angel (pale blue Spencer) for a delicate pastel scheme, or with Henry Thomas (deep crimson) for maximum contrast in a tall vase.

For a scent-focused border, pair Jilly with Heaven Scent and Brook Hall – three well-perfumed varieties that together create a succession of colour from cream through pink to deep rose. On a wigwam with Restormel (scarlet-red Spencer), Jilly provides the cool contrast that lets the red really sing.

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. They go directly into the garden with no transition period required.

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 Jilly white or cream?

Cream. Buds open with a distinct yellow tint that matures to ivory, eventually fading towards white as the flower ages. The NSPS classifies it under Cream and Ivory, not White.

Does Jilly hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit?

Yes, awarded in 1994 and held continuously since – over thirty years of unbroken recognition. It is one of the longest-standing AGM sweet peas in general cultivation.

Who bred Jilly?

Bred by Harriss and introduced by Unwins in 1988. Unwins has been involved in British sweet pea development since the early twentieth century.

How well scented is it?

Very well scented for a Spencer. Specialist growers rate it 4–5 out of 5 on the Parsons scale. The fragrance is sweet and clean, strong enough to notice at arm’s length in the garden.

Is Jilly good for exhibition?

Widely regarded as one of the best cream varieties for the show bench. Large, well-waved flowers, long straight stems, and consistent form tick the boxes that judges look for.

How tall does it grow?

2–2.2m (approximately 7ft) with proper support. Vigorous and strong-stemmed.

Do I have to sow from seed?

Not at all. We sell Jilly as ready-grown seedlings in jumbo plugs, fully hardened off and ready for the garden. Browse the full range of sweet pea seedling plugs.