How to Grow
Sweet Pea 'Old Spice Starry Night' from Seed
The darkest, most fragrant sweet pea — Hardy Annual H3; Grandiflora type; Old Spice series; velvety bi-colours of deep violet, indigo, maroon and purple; double the fragrance of Spencer types; more heat tolerant than Spencers (continues when others fade); sow Oct–Nov (best) cold frame or Jan–Mar at 15°C; pick every 2–3 days; pair with white companions (Ammi Majus, Nicotiana) to reveal the dark colours; TOXICITY: all parts mildly toxic
Sweet Pea 'Old Spice Starry Night' belongs to the Grandiflora group — the heritage sweet pea type that predates the Spencer revolution and that has been specifically championed by the Old Spice series for its combination of maximum fragrance and summer heat tolerance. Where Spencer sweet peas have been bred for large, ruffled, exhibition-quality blooms on long exhibition stems (sometimes at the expense of fragrance), the Old Spice series deliberately prioritises the intense, old-fashioned sweet pea fragrance of the original Grandiflora varieties, combined with heat tolerance that keeps the plants producing through the warmer periods of a UK summer.
Within the Old Spice range, Starry Night selects for the darkest, most dramatic end of the colour spectrum: velvety bi-colours of deep violet, indigo, maroon and purple that produce blooms of extraordinary richness at close range. The Bishy description calls them "the moodiest, most dramatic shades in the spectrum" — a characterisation that is entirely justified. For gardeners who want the original sweet pea fragrance intensity, the heat tolerance to match Norfolk summers, and the most striking dark colour palette available from a sweet pea, Old Spice Starry Night delivers all three simultaneously.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Hardy Annual H3 — Grandiflora type; Old Spice series; moody dark dramatic palette
Colour
Velvety bi-colours of deep violet, indigo, maroon and purple; the darkest sweet pea palette
Type
Grandiflora — smaller blooms than Spencer but double the fragrance; closer to original wild SP
Heat tolerant
More resilient to summer heat than Spencer types; continues when Spencers fade
TOXICITY
All parts mildly toxic — do not eat; keep away from children and pets
Difficulty
2 out of 5 — the heat tolerance makes it more forgiving than Spencer types
Understanding Old Spice Starry Night
Toxicity Warning — All Parts Mildly Toxic
Sweet pea seeds and all parts of the plant are mildly toxic if ingested. They must not be eaten and should not be mistaken for edible garden peas, which they closely resemble in seed form. Keep seeds and plants away from children and pets at all stages.
Grandiflora vs Spencer — The Key Distinction
Old Spice Starry Night belongs to the Grandiflora group of sweet peas — the heritage type that predates the Spencer revolution of the early 20th century. Grandiflora sweet peas have smaller, more open-faced flowers than the large, ruffled Spencer types, but they carry significantly stronger fragrance. The Bishy product description captures this trade-off precisely: the flowers are "slightly smaller than the frilly exhibition types, but they pack double the perfume." For gardeners who grow sweet peas primarily for scent — the fragrance that fills a room, saturates a garden, attracts moths in the evening — Grandiflora varieties deliver what many modern Spencers, bred for size and stem length at the expense of scent, cannot.
The Old Spice Series — Heat Tolerance and Maximum Fragrance
The Old Spice series was specifically developed to combine the maximum fragrance of heritage Grandiflora sweet peas with heat tolerance significantly greater than standard Spencer types. Sweet peas are cool-season plants and Spencer types typically slow and stop as summer temperatures rise — the root zone heating is the primary trigger for season-ending failure. The Old Spice varieties are more resilient to warm conditions, continuing to produce their intensely-scented blooms long after Spencer types in the same garden have finished. For Norfolk gardeners, where July and August can deliver extended warm periods, this heat tolerance is a meaningful practical advantage.
Starry Night — The Darkest Selection
Within the Old Spice series, Starry Night represents the darkest, most dramatic end of the colour spectrum: velvety bi-colours of deep violet, indigo, maroon, and purple. The Bishy description calls these "the moodiest, most dramatic shades in the spectrum." Unlike the pale blush pinks, lavender-lilacs, and cream tones of many other sweet pea varieties, Starry Night blooms are dark, rich, and saturated — colours that read as genuinely striking at distance and deeply beautiful at close range, with the velvety texture of the Grandiflora petal structure catching and absorbing light in a way that pale-toned flowers do not.
Sowing & Growing On
Sow Oct–Nov (best) or Jan–Mar at 15°C — Root Trainers — 1cm Deep — Soak First — Plant Mar–May — 1.8m+ Support — Pick Every 2–3 Days
Sow in root trainers at 1cm after soaking. Best: October–November in a cold frame. Spring: January–March at 15°C. Plant March–May in rich deep soil with 1.8m+ support. Pinch at 4 pairs. Pick every 2–3 days. The Grandiflora type is more heat tolerant but still benefits from mulching and consistent picking.
-
Soak seeds in tepid water for a few hours before sowing; nick any that do not swell. Sow at 1cm depth in root trainers or deep pots. Autumn sowing (October–November, cold frame): overwinter for May flowers and the strongest plants. Spring sowing (January–March): maintain approximately 15°C — heat above 18°C significantly inhibits germination. Germination 10–21 days.
-
Grow on in cool, bright conditions and plant out once established. Do not allow plants to become rootbound in their pots before planting. Plant March–April (autumn sown) or April–May (spring sown) into deeply-dug, generously-manured soil. Erect support structures before or at planting — never after climbing has started.
-
Pinch out at 4 pairs of leaves (approximately 10cm) for bushy multi-stemmed growth. Guide the stems to the support structure regularly. Feed fortnightly with high-potash fertiliser from first buds. Water deeply at the base; mulch to insulate the root zone against summer heat.
-
Pick every 2–3 days without exception; remove all seed pods immediately. This is the single most important action for a long sweet pea season. A plant that is allowed to set seed stops producing flowers within a week. Regular picking is both the reward and the management requirement simultaneously.
Growing On & Care
Dark Flowers Need Light Partners
The Bishy description identifies a specific design challenge of the Starry Night colour palette: the dark violet, indigo and maroon blooms can "disappear in the evening light" if grown without light companions to provide contrast. The recommended approach: pair with white-flowered companions that provide a stark backdrop against which the dark sweet peas become more visible and dramatic. Nicotiana White Trumpets (also evening-fragrant) creates a dual-scented evening garden with high visual contrast. Ammi Majus (white lace) is the essential cut flower companion — when dark-coloured Starry Night blooms are brought indoors for arrangements, white Ammi provides the light filler that lifts and reveals the dark sweet peas rather than leaving them to disappear against dark vase backgrounds.
The Velvet Quality
Grandiflora sweet pea petals have a specific textural quality that distinguishes them from the large, ruffled, smoothly-waved petals of Spencer types: they are more open-faced, simpler in form, and the petal surface has a velvet-like quality that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. In the dark colours of Starry Night — deep violet, indigo, maroon — this velvet-absorbing quality produces flowers of extraordinary richness at close range. The bi-colour character (deep brownish-purple with violet-pink undertones) means no two flowers read identically, and stems show the full range of the colour spectrum within a single bunch.
Fragrance — The Old Spice Advantage
The Old Spice series is specifically described as having "double the perfume" of comparable Spencer types. This reflects the deliberate breeding decision to prioritise fragrance intensity over flower size: where Spencer breeding selected for large, ruffled, exhibition-quality blooms, the Old Spice programme selected for the honey-and-orange-blossom fragrance notes of the original Grandiflora varieties. The resulting scent profile of Starry Night is described as powerful, traditional, and genuinely room-filling — the sweet pea fragrance in its most concentrated and original form.
Heat Tolerance in Practice
The heat tolerance of the Old Spice series manifests practically as a longer productive season: while Spencer types typically begin to slow in mid-July as soil temperatures rise, Old Spice Starry Night continues producing its intensely-fragrant dark blooms through the warmer periods of a UK summer. This does not mean it is indifferent to heat — mulching the root zone, deep base watering, and consistent picking remain important — but the plants recover more quickly from hot spells and maintain production through conditions that would stop Spencer varieties entirely.
As a Cut Flower
Starry Night produces the most dramatic dark sweet pea combination available in the range: deep violet, indigo and maroon blooms on long, wiry stems that provide a striking addition to any mixed arrangement. For best effect in the vase, pair with white or cream companions (Ammi Majus, white Cosmos, cream Gypsophila) that provide the light contrast the dark blooms need to reveal their depth and colour. Cut in the early morning; re-cut at an angle under water; condition in deep water for 4 hours. Vase life 4–6 days. The fragrance in the vase is intense and room-filling.
Evening Pollinators
The Grandiflora flower structure and the intense Old Spice fragrance make Starry Night particularly attractive to long-tongued pollinators, including bumblebees, solitary bees, and evening-flying moths. The powerful evening fragrance is specifically effective as a pollinator beacon in the cooler temperatures of dusk when the fragrance compounds are released most readily into the air. Growing Starry Night beside the evening garden companions suggested in the Bishy listing — Nicotiana and Ammi — creates a multi-layered pollinator resource that is valuable through both the daytime and evening hours.
Sowing & Season Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn sow (Oct–Nov; root trainers; cold frame) |
|
|
||||||||||
| Spring sow (Jan–Mar; cool 15°C; deep pots) |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Plant out (Mar–May depending on sow) |
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Pick every 2–3 days (never allow pods) |
|
|
|
|
|
Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers disappearing visually in the border or vase | Dark colours against dark backgrounds | Plant or arrange with white or cream companions (Ammi Majus, Nicotiana, white Cosmos) to provide the light contrast that reveals the depth of the dark Starry Night colours. |
| Flowering stopping despite heat tolerance | Seed pods forming; root zone overheating | Strip all seed pods immediately. Mulch the root zone 8–10cm deep. Water at the base every 2–3 days. The heat tolerance of the Old Spice series does not remove the need for consistent picking and root management. |
| Fragrance less intense than expected | Flowers not at their peak freshness; hot weather | Cut sweet peas in the early morning when fragrance compounds are at their most concentrated. In very hot weather, fragrance may temporarily reduce but returns in the evening and on cooler days. |
| Poor germination on spring sowing | Temperature too high; seeds old | Maintain 15°C. Nick seeds that do not swell after soaking. Use fresh seed — sweet pea viability declines after 2–3 years even in storage. |
Plant Specifications
The darkest sweet pea palette — double the fragrance, more heat tolerant, and velvety violets and maroons that make every white companion flower glow
Sow in root trainers at 1cm after soaking seeds. Best: October–November in a cold frame for May flowers. Spring: January–March at 15°C. Plant March–May in deep, richly-prepared soil with 1.8m+ support. Pinch at 4 pairs. Pick every 2–3 days. Pair with white-flowered companions (Ammi Majus, Nicotiana) to reveal the depth of the dark bi-colours. The intense Old Spice fragrance fills the garden and vase from May through September.
Shop Sweet Pea Old Spice Starry Night Seeds →