'White Frills' Sweet Pea Plants

• Variety: White Frills
• Type: Spencer
• Colour: Pure white with heavily ruffled petals
• Scent: Medium. A clean, fresh sweet pea fragrance
• Flowers: Large, heavily waved Spencer blooms. 3–4 per stem, frilled edges
• Stems: Long and straight, good for cutting
• Height: 2m (6–7ft) with support
• Flowering: Late June to September with regular picking
• RHS AGM: No
• Show class: Spencer — NSPS Class 1, White
• Bred by: Unwins
• Sold as: Jumbo plug plants, hand-sown by us
• Plant outdoors: After last frost
• Delivered: March to May by next-day courier. Collection from Castle Cary also available

White Frills – Extra Ruffle, Pure White

White Frills is a white Spencer with more petal movement than almost any other variety in the collection. The petals carry heavily frilled, ruffled edges that give each bloom a layered, textural quality – you could pick White Frills out at arm's length. Both White Frills and White Supreme sit in NSPS Class 1 (White), but the character is quite different. White Supreme is cleaner and smoother. White Frills is more romantic, more textured, more wedding-bouquet.

Unwins bred it and the Spencer form is good: large flowers, 3–4 per stem, on long straight stems that cut and arrange easily. The scent is medium, a clean, fresh sweetness that you notice from a bunch in the house without it filling the room. White Frills grows to about 2m with support and flowers freely from late June through September as long as you keep picking. A variety for anyone who wants a white sweet pea with personality rather than just colour.

White in the Garden and the Vase

A white sweet pea earns its keep in two ways. In the garden, it lightens everything around it. A planting of deep blues, purples, and maroons that might otherwise feel heavy gains airiness the moment you add white. In the vase, white sweet peas are the peacemakers. They sit between clashing colours and make them agree. White Frills does both jobs, and the extra frilling means each stem carries more visual weight than a plain white bloom.

For weddings and events, White Frills is one of the most requested varieties. The frilled petals photograph beautifully and the white is clean enough to sit alongside any colour scheme without pulling the eye. A jug of White Frills alone on a table has a simple elegance that more colourful arrangements cannot match. But it also works in a mixed bunch, where the ruffled white blooms provide texture and breathing space between bolder colours. For growing, picking, and vase-care advice, see our sweet pea growing guide.

What Lifts a White Sweet Pea

White Frills looks wonderful against deep colour. Windsor (maroon-claret Spencer) is a natural partner: the dark claret against the frilled white is dramatic and timeless. Noel Sutton (rich blue Spencer, AGM) provides a cooler contrast, and the blue-and-white combination is one of the classics. For a softer effect, Mollie Rilstone (cream-pink Spencer) keeps the mood light while adding just enough warmth to prevent the planting from looking cold.

Beyond the sweet pea support, White Frills pairs well with dahlias. A dark-leaved dahlia like Bishop of Llandaff (scarlet flowers, bronze foliage) at the base of the sweet pea support creates a colour conversation between the dark red dahlia and the pure white sweet pea. The dahlia takes over as the sweet peas wind down in late summer, so the succession works in terms of timing as well as colour.

Why Choose Ashridge Sweet Pea Plugs?

Growing sweet peas well means getting the early stages right. 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.

We deliver your sweet peas by next-day courier between March and May, packed in recycled cardboard packaging designed specifically for live plants. They arrive ready to go straight 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 are a Which? Best Buy plant supplier and we hold a Feefo Platinum Service Award, both earned by keeping customers happy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is White Frills different from White Supreme?

Both are white Spencers in NSPS Class 1, but the difference is in the petal form. White Frills has heavily ruffled, frilled edges that give the blooms a layered, textural look. White Supreme has smoother, rounder petals and a cleaner silhouette. White Frills is the more romantic, more decorative of the two. White Supreme is the more classical. Both are good cut flowers; choose whichever suits your style.

Is White Frills scented?

A clean, fresh sweet pea fragrance at medium strength. You will notice it from a bunch on the kitchen table and in the garden when you lean in. Not one of the powerfully perfumed varieties, but the scent is pleasant and consistent. If you want white flowers with stronger fragrance, grow White Frills alongside a scented variety like Mrs Collier (primrose-cream Grandiflora with a rich, heavy scent) and let each contribute what it does best.

Is White Frills good for weddings?

One of the best. The frilled, ruffled petals photograph beautifully and the white is clean and true, with no cream tinge. The stems are long enough for hand-tied bouquets and the blooms last well once cut. For a June or July wedding, White Frills grown on a wigwam or along a fence provides weeks of fresh white flowers. Order early, as sweet pea plugs sell out quickly in spring.

How do I keep sweet peas flowering longer?

Pick every stem that is ready, even if you do not need the flowers. Once a sweet pea sets seed, it stops producing new blooms. Picking signals the plant to keep flowering. Cut in early morning, taking stems where the lowest bloom is just opening. Feed fortnightly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser and water consistently. On a good year, with diligent picking, White Frills will flower from late June well into September.

Are sweet peas annuals?

All garden sweet peas are annuals, and White Frills is no exception. It gives you one season of flowering from late June to September, then the plant is finished. At the end of the season, cut the stems at ground level but leave the roots in the soil. The root nodules contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria that benefit next year's planting. For fresh plants each spring, browse our sweet pea collection.