Sweet Pea 'Old Spice Starry Night' Seeds
The 'Old Spice' series is famous for bringing back the original, powerful fragrance of wild sweet peas, combined with modern heat tolerance. The 'Starry Night' selection focuses on the moodiest, most dramatic shades in the spectrum: velvety bi-colours of deep violet, indigo, maroon, and purple.
These are "Grandiflora" types. This means the flowers are slightly smaller than the frilly exhibition types, but they pack double the perfume. Uniquely, they are bred to withstand summer heat better than standard varieties, ensuring you have blooms—and that incredible scent—long after other sweet peas have faded in the July sun.
Read More
🌿 Understanding the Plant
Sweet Peas are **Hardy Annuals**.
They live for one season and can withstand cold starts.
The 'Old Spice' Advantage: Unlike 'Spencer' types which can struggle in hot summers, these are tougher and more resilient to heat. Sow in Autumn (Oct/Nov) for the strongest plants, or early Spring (Jan-March) for summer flowers.
Top Tip: Because these are Grandifloras, they don't need as much "cordon growing" fuss as show varieties. Let them scramble naturally up a wigwam for a wilder, bushier look.
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Sweet Peas are hungry, thirsty plants, but 'Old Spice' is a tough cookie.
Germination:
Sow indoors in Oct/Nov or Jan-March. You can soak the seeds in tepid water for a few hours before sowing to speed up hydration. Sow 1cm deep in deep pots (root trainers or toilet roll tubes) to accommodate their long taproots. Keep cool (approx 15°C). Germination takes 10-21 days.
Where to Sow:
They need **full sun** and rich, fertile soil. Dig a trench and fill it with well-rotted manure or garden compost before planting out. Ensure you have a support structure (canes, trellis, or netting) ready.
Care While Growing:
Tie them in: Gently tie young shoots to the frame to get them started.
Feed and Water: Water generously during dry spells.
Pick, Pick, Pick! You must remove seed pods immediately. If the plant sets seed, it stops flowering. Harvest flowers every 2 days to keep the show going.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Lathyrus odoratus |
| Common Name | Sweet Pea 'Old Spice Starry Night' |
| Hardiness | H3 (Hardy Annual) |
| Light Required | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | ↕️ 1.8m (Climber) |
| Spread | ↔️ 30cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 20cm - 30cm apart |
| Great for | 👃 Intense Fragrance ☀️ Heat Tolerance ✂️ Cut Flowers 🟣 Dark Colour Themes |
| Seed Count | Approx. 25 seeds per packet |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
The dark, moody colours of 'Starry Night' need bright or light partners to stop them disappearing in the evening light:
- 🌙 Nicotiana 'White Trumpets': For a scented evening garden. The pure white of the Nicotiana provides a stark, high-contrast backdrop to the dark violet Sweet Peas. Both release powerful scents in the evening.
- ❄️ Ammi Majus (Queen Anne's Lace): The vase essential. If you are cutting these dark flowers for the house, you need a light filler to lift them. Growing Ammi Majus nearby ensures you always have the perfect white lace to arrange with your dark velvets.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow in Autumn for early flowers, or Spring for summer blooms.
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Seeds | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | |||||||
| Flowers | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 |
⚠️ Toxicity Warning
Sweet Pea seeds are mildly toxic if eaten in large quantities. Unlike vegetable garden peas, these pods are not for eating. Please keep seeds away from small children.
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
The 'Old Spice' series is celebrated for bringing heat tolerance to the traditional, highly-scented sweet pea, allowing gardeners in hotter areas to enjoy them for longer.
- Regular price
-
£2.50 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
-
£2.50
Couldn't load pickup availability
