'Restormel' Sweet Pea Plants

• Variety: Restormel
• Type: Spencer
• Colour: Rich cerise-pink
• Scent: 3/5 (Parsons) – a clear, sweet fragrance
• Flowers: Large, fully waved Spencer. 3–4 per stem
• Stems: Long and straight – a strong cutting variety
• Height: 2m (6–7ft) with support
• Flowering: June to September with regular picking
• RHS AGM: No
• 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

Restormel – A Rich Cerise That Holds Its Colour

Cerise is a colour that often disappoints in the garden. It starts strong and fades fast, bleaching to a washed-out pink within a day or two of opening. Restormel does not do this. The flowers open a vivid cerise-pink – bright, saturated, unapologetic – and they hold that intensity right through the life of each bloom. No fading, no gradual drift toward pallor. What you see on day one is more or less what you get on day five.

The flowers are large, fully waved in the Spencer style, and carried on long straight stems that are built for cutting. Three or four per stem is standard. The plant reaches about 2m (6–7ft) with support and flowers generously. Unwins bred it, and the name – taken from Restormel Castle in Cornwall – suits its personality: bright, historic, and unyielding.

A Colour That Carries

In the garden, Restormel is visible from across a border. Cerise has a visual presence that softer pinks cannot match – it catches the eye, anchors a planting scheme, and gives structure to a mixed display in the same way that a strong voice grounds a conversation. Grow it up a wigwam among softer-toned varieties and it acts as the centrepiece.

In a vase, the colour is equally commanding. A few stems of Restormel in a simple jug need nothing else. Scent is pleasant – a 3 on the Parsons scale – and carries a clear, sweet note that works well blended with more heavily perfumed varieties. The stems are stiff enough to hold upright without flopping, which makes Restormel one of the easier Spencers to arrange without fuss.

Growing Restormel

Full sun, in soil that has been improved with organic matter before planting. Support in place first – canes, netting, or a wigwam – with plants spaced 10–15cm apart at the base. Restormel is a vigorous grower and will climb to about 2m in a good season. Water consistently, feed with a high-potash liquid feed once buds form, and keep cutting relentlessly. Every stem you take encourages the next wave of flowers. Every pod you leave on the plant hastens the end of the season.

Pairing Ideas

For maximum impact, pair Restormel with Noel Sutton (violet-blue) – cerise against blue is vivid and alive, one of those combinations that looks spontaneous but is actually doing a great deal of chromatic work. For a gentler contrast, White Supreme alongside Restormel lets the cerise glow without competition.

Add Mollie Rilstone (cream with a pink picotee edge) and you have a trio that moves from bright cerise through picotee to cream – a tonal staircase in a single arrangement. In a cutting garden, Restormel makes a fine neighbour for cosmos – the feathery foliage of Cosmos Purity or Daydream softens the bold cerise, and both are prolific enough to keep a kitchen table supplied all summer. Full growing detail in 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 is Restormel?

Rich cerise-pink – vivid, saturated, and notably colourfast. Unlike many bright sweet peas, the flowers hold their intensity rather than bleaching in the sun. The colour reads as a warm, slightly blue-toned pink rather than an orange-pink.

How scented is Restormel?

A clear, sweet fragrance – a 3 on the Parsons scale. Noticeable from a bunch and pleasant in the garden, though not a powerhouse. For maximum scent alongside the colour, pair Restormel with a heavily perfumed Grandiflora.

Is Restormel good for cutting?

One of the better cutting Spencers in the range. Long straight stems, stiff enough to stand upright in a vase, and a colour that holds well in water. The cerise-pink makes a strong visual statement on its own or lifts a mixed bunch immediately.

Can I grow Restormel in a pot?

Yes – use a deep container, allow at least 4 litres of compost per plant, and do not let it dry out. Feed fortnightly with comfrey tea or a high-potash fertiliser once buds appear. Restormel's vigour suits container growing well.

Do sweet peas come back every year?

No – annual only, one season of colour. The perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) returns each spring, but it has no fragrance and smaller flowers. For scented annual varieties, browse our sweet pea collection.