Cottage Garden Sweet Pea Collections

Sweet Pea Collections – Mixed Colour, Maximum Charm

Each of our sweet pea collections contains 8 jumbo plug seedlings, chosen from our range of named varieties by the nursery team. You get a minimum of three different varieties per collection, picked to give you a balanced mix of colour, scent, and flower type.

The plants are not individually labelled. That is deliberate. So much of the fun in cottage gardening is discovering what you have grown when it flowers – watching the colours unfold over the weeks without the pressure of knowing what everything ought to be. If you prefer to choose specific varieties, browse our full range of named sweet peas instead.

Which Sweet Pea Collection Should I Choose?

Cottage Garden Mix

As the Americans say, this one is the "soup to nuts". The full palette, no restrictions. You could get anything from our range – heritage Grandifloras, modern varieties, Spencers and in whatever colours are looking their best when your order is packed. This is the one for people who like surprises and understand that in a proper cottage garden, nothing matches and everything works. If you are growing sweet peas up a wigwam in a border and want it to look effortlessly abundant, start here.

Twilight Mix

The darker, moodier end of the sweet pea spectrum. Expect purples, deep magentas, navies, and maroons. These are the colours you find at the edges of a late summer evening. Many of the most heavily scented varieties in our range fall naturally into this palette, because the heritage Grandifloras with their intense perfume tend to cluster in these richer tones. Twilight varieties look superb against a light stone wall or a pale-painted fence where the depth of colour really shows.

Royal Mix

Bold jewel tones with presence. Think the rich end of the colour wheel: strong purples, vivid crimsons, deep blues. Not the softer shades. Royal varieties tend to be vigorous growers that make their mark quickly. Good for cutting if you want arrangements with real visual punch, and strong enough to hold their own alongside bold border planting.

Pastel Mix

The softest shades we grow. Pale pinks, lavender, cream, blush, and the gentler blues. These are the sweet peas that glow in low light – luminous in the evening when darker flowers have disappeared into shadow. They sit beautifully alongside climbing roses and look elegant in a table arrangement where you want scent without visual competition. If your garden leans towards whites and silvers, the Pastel Mix will fit as though it had always been there.

Where to Plant a Sweet Pea Collection

All four collections thrive in the same conditions: a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil that has been improved with organic matter. Six hours of direct sun is ideal; a little afternoon shade is fine.

Eight plants is enough for a generous wigwam of 6–8 tall canes, or a 1–1.2 metre run of netting between posts. If you want a fuller display, two collections give you 16 plants – enough for a 2–2.5 metre run or two wigwams. Want something denser still? Add another collection and keep the supports the same.

These collections work well in large containers too, provided you give each plant a generous root run – a minimum of 4 litres of compost per seedling. A half-barrel with a hazel obelisk and a Pastel Mix makes a beautiful feature by a back door or on a patio. Sweet peas are also very happy in repurposed window boxes on the ground – we have winter window boxes until March, empty them out, add fresh compost, plant with sweet peas, and put them at the sunny end of the terrace where we sit on summer evenings. For full container advice, see our guide to growing sweet peas in pots.

Looking After Your Sweet Pea Collection

Pick the flowers. You will find this on every sweet pea page on this site because it is the single most important piece of advice about growing sweet peas. Every flower you cut or deadhead tells the plant to produce more; every seed pod that forms tells it to stop. With a mixed collection the picking is particularly enjoyable, because you never quite know what combination you will end up with in the jug.

Feed fortnightly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser once the first buds appear. Water deeply and regularly – sweet peas are thirsty and will let you know if they dry out. Our sweet pea growing guide covers everything else: support options, training, soil preparation, and the month-by-month calendar.

What Makes Ashridge Sweet Peas Different?

Every 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.

Your sweet peas go out by next-day courier between March and May, packed in purpose-designed recycled cardboard packaging. They arrive ready for the ground or a container. No greenhouse acclimatisation needed. If anything is not right, we have real people on the phone in Somerset who will sort it out. We have been growing and selling plants since 1949, and by mail order since 2003. We hold a Feefo Platinum Service Award and were named a Which? Best Buy plant supplier – both came from our customers, not our marketing team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the four sweet pea collections?

Colour palette is the only difference. All four contain the same quality plants grown to the same standard. Cottage Garden gives you the widest spread, Twilight focuses on darker shades, Royal on bold jewel tones, and Pastel on the softest colours. All include scented varieties.

Can I request specific varieties in my sweet pea collection?

The collections are chosen by our nursery team based on what looks its best when your order is packed, so we cannot accommodate variety requests. If you want specific named varieties, order them individually from our full sweet pea range.

How many sweet pea varieties will I get?

A minimum of three varieties, though you may get more. Each collection contains 8 plants in total. The exact mix depends on what is growing well at dispatch time.

When will my sweet pea collection be delivered?

Sweet pea seedlings go out between March and May each year, weather permitting. We email you the expected dispatch date after you order, keep you up to date on any changes, and send a notification when your plants have been picked, packed, and are on their way by next-day courier.

Can I grow a sweet pea collection in pots?

All four collections grow well in large containers with at least 4 litres of compost per plant and a sturdy support. Feed more frequently than you would plants in the ground, and water daily in warm weather. Our container growing guide has full advice.

Is it worth ordering two sweet pea collections?

Two collections give you 16 plants – enough for a generous wigwam or a 2–2.5 metre run of netting. Mixing a themed collection (Twilight, Royal, or Pastel) with the Cottage Garden Mix adds depth without losing the random, informal effect that makes mixed sweet peas so appealing.

Will the sweet pea varieties be labelled?

The plants arrive without individual labels, which is part of the charm. You discover what you have as the flowers open. If knowing the variety name matters to you, our individually named sweet peas are a better option.

Do sweet peas come back the following year?

Sweet peas are hardy annuals – one glorious season from June to September, then they are done. At the end of summer, cut the stems at ground level but leave the roots in the soil. Sweet peas are legumes and fix nitrogen through root nodules, so whatever you plant next in that spot gets a natural boost.