Sweet smelling and pretty as a picture, sweet peas are a star of the late spring garden. Whether for ornamental value or use in floristry, it is easy to grow these fragrant flowers on their delicate climbing vines.
They got their start as garden plants in the 1690s when a Sicilian monk by the name of Father Francis Cupani shared the seeds he had gleaned from his cultivated plants with his gardening friends across Europe and the UK.
The popularity of these plants has ebbed and flowed over the past few centuries, with a strong resurgence during the Victorian Era. These antique garden flowers are still popular today and make a wonderful addition to the cottage, cutting, or other ornamental garden. Here are 29 beautiful varieties of sweet pea vines for your viewing enjoyment.
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Beaujolais
A Spencer-type with deep wine-red flowers, ‘Beaujolais’ reaches six feet in height.
Named for the deep, rich shade of wine red of its ruffled flowers, ‘Beaujolais’ is a Spencer-type sweet pea known for its long bloom time. The vines grow seven to about eight feet tall on this big bloomer.
The long and strong stems make these a great choice for the cut flower garden. ‘Beaujolais’ begins blooming soon after the spring equinox and continues until the summer heat slows them down.
This variety produces tall vines with large, lightly fragrant indigo blooms.
‘My Navy’ has gorgeous indigo-colored, large, lightly fragrant blooms. The tall vines reach up to eight feet tall and look wonderful on an arbor or trellis. Plant these seeds in fall in warmer climates for very early spring blooms.
Wait until the ground is workable for mid to late-spring blooms in cooler climates. Bees will love these beautiful blue flowers!
Henry Eckford
Introduced in 1904, this heirloom was named after a renowned Scottish horticulturist.
This heirloom was introduced in 1904 and named for the Scottish horticulturist who was one of the most famous breeders of these pretty flowering plants. The flowers are a bold, fiery red with a hint of salmon and grow four to a stem on long climbing vines.
‘Henry Eckford’ flowers are very fragrant and exceptionally eye-catching. Give this plant shade in the afternoon and you may get blooms from late spring through fall.
Air Warden
With their scarlet ruffled blooms, Air Warden attracts hummingbirds.
‘Air Warden” is a Spencer-type with ruffled blooms in a brilliant shade of scarlet. It is a prolific bloomer and a mid-sized plant that will attract hummingbirds to the garden.
The flowers are quite fragrant and held on long, strong stems. This variety makes excellent cut flowers. Plant it in moist, well-drained, and fertile soil for best results, and deadhead regularly for extra flower power.
Noel Sutton
An old-fashioned variety bred by the Suttons, Noel Sutton boasts vivid blue-violet flowers.
Bred by the Suttons, this old-fashioned classic is a strong grower with vines reaching up to six feet tall. The flowers are a vivid shade of blue-violet with wonderfully ruffled petals. They also happen to be highly fragrant.
Make sure to give your sweet peas plenty of water in hot weather to keep their roots cool. This will prolong the blooming season.
Mrs. Collier
Introduced in 1907, Mrs. Collier’s white blossoms are popular in bridal floristry.
When it comes to fragrance, ‘Mrs. Collier’ is among the strongest scented sweet peas around. Introduced in 1907, this exceptionally popular old-fashioned variety is a vigorous grower, reaching up to ten feet tall.
The creamy, white blossoms bloom three to a stem and are very popular in bridal floristry. This is a perfect variety for the classic cottage garden.
America
This is a fragrant variety with large white blossoms adorned with vibrant red streaks.
‘America’ is a stunning winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. The flowers are large, appearing three to a stem, and have a strong, heady fragrance.
Each blossom is white and heavily patterned with bright, sparkling red streaks. This is a mid-sized plant that does well in containers. Don’t fret about picking too many of these sweet peas. The more you cut, the more they will produce.
Lord Nelson
Regular deadheading ensures continuous summer flowering.
Named for a British admiral in the Royal Navy, ‘Lord Nelson’ sweet peas are a stunning blue-violet variety. The blooms are very fragrant and showy, growing on mid-sized vines. This variety was developed by Henry Eckford and introduced in the early 1900s.
Keep them from going to seed by deadheading, and they will continue to bloom into the summer.
Turquoise Lagoon
This small but floriferous variety was bred in New Zealand by Dr. Keith Hammett.
If mermaids wore flowers in their hair, this would be their flower of choice. The color-changing blooms start out pink and change to stunning turquoise as they age. This is a small but very floriferous variety.
The flowers are on the smaller side, like the plant, but they are truly stunning in full bloom, with both colors and every shade in between present on the same plant. This wonderful variety was bred in New Zealand by Dr. Keith Hammett.
Swan Lake
A Spencer-type sweet pea named Swan Lake boasts pure white, heavily ruffled petals.
‘Swan Lake’ is a Spencer-type with pure white, heavily ruffled petals. The fragrance is light and sweet on this very good climber that works well in any space. Good for cutting or creating a screen, give these plants some mulch to keep their roots cool.
Like their lovely name, these flowers are as pretty as a ballerina. ‘Swan Lake’ has wonderfully long stems and makes a great cut flower.
Miss Wilmott
Introduced in 1900, Miss Wilmott sweet pea swiftly rose to become England’s most beloved variety.
Soon after it was introduced in 1900, ‘Miss Willmott’ quickly became the most popular sweet pea variety in England, and it’s easy to see why. The flowers are so bright they nearly glow.
It’s difficult to call them bi-colored because they truly are more than two shades, but the colors fade in and out of one another so seamlessly it is difficult to name them all. Shades of salmon, pink, and orange grace these highly fragrant, beautiful blooms.
Erewhon
Named after a satirical novel, Erewhon features bi-colored blooms in soft pink and bright violet.
A stunning sweet pea with an interesting name, ‘Erewhon’ shares the name of a satirical novel criticizing various aspects of Victorian culture. This variety is one of the loveliest I’ve seen, with bi-colored blooms in soft pink and bright violet. A bouquet of these pretty stems is absolutely enchanting, and they grow on long stems up to eight feet, so they are plentiful!
Royal Lavender
Tall and heat-tolerant, ‘Royal Lavender’ features fluttery flowers ranging from light to dark purple.
‘Royal Lavender’ is a tall variety with lovely lavender, fluttery flowers. The vines are mid range in height, and the flowers can range in color from very light to rather dark purple on the same plant.
The Royal varieties are known for being particularly tolerant of heat, so these will bloom much longer than more sensitive types. They also have extra long stems, making them great for cutting and floristry.
Royal Scarlet
This variety thrives well into the summer with shade and ample water.
These classic crimson sweet peas are positively striking and make an incredible addition to the pollinator garden. Like other Royal varieties, ‘Royal Scarlet’ has excellent heat tolerance and will bloom well into the summer.
Give the roots some shade and plenty of water, and they could continue into the fall. They have a sweet fragrance and grow to a manageable six or seven feet tall, making them a good container variety.
Prince of Orange
A vibrant and fragrant Spencer-type sweet pea, ‘Prince of Orange’ was bred in 1928.
This brilliant orange and pink Spencer-type sweet pea would catch the eye of any fair maiden in the garden. The blooms are so bright they nearly glow with a pink blush around the edges and on the lower petals.
Bred in 1928, this pretty cultivar is close to its 100th birthday! This is a highly fragrant variety that makes a splash in the garden or in floral arrangements.
Clotted Cream
This variety is popular among brides for its frilly, sweet scent.
‘Clotted Cream’ is a fluffy confection of fragrant Spencer-type sweet peas. The blooms are large and very ornate, in a creamy white to pale yellow shade.
This is a vigorous grower that works well in the cutting garden and is very popular with brides for its extra frilly, sweetly scented blossoms.
William & Catherine
This pink to salmon-colored sweet pea is among the prettiest flowers.
Named to commemorate the nuptials of everyone’s favorite royal couple, this variety was released in 2011. ‘William & Catherine’ is a pink to salmon-colored sweet pea with a pale yellow accent and very frilly petals.
Nick your sweet pea seeds before planting to speed germination, but don’t worry about soaking, as it will not make much of a difference. We think Kate would agree that these are some of the prettiest flowers around.
Charlie’s Angel
This vine is ideal for cutting gardens with its large, fragrant flowers against blue-green foliage.
This icy blue sweet pea variety will blow you away with its gorgeous and plentiful blooms. The flowers are the perfect shade of periwinkle and look ethereal against blue-green foliage. This is a Spencer type with larger flowers and long, strong stems that are ideal for the cutting garden. They are also very fragrant.
Enchanté
The unicorn sweet pea features tri-colored flowers and prefers sunlight.
‘Enchanté’ carries the nickname “unicorn sweet pea” and has magical tri-colored flowers. A blend of cherry pink, cream, and violet, these flowers are otherworldly.
This mid to tall-sized sweet pea likes plenty of sunlight, but the roots will be happiest with shade in the afternoon and ample moisture to keep them cool and keep them blooming.
Enigma
A 2017 variety by Dr. Keith Hammitt, Enigma boasts subtly marbled pale pink and white flowers.
This is a newer variety bred in 2017 by Dr. Keith Hammitt. The flowers are subtle and marbled in pale pink and white, but the fragrance is anything but.
These are highly scented and wonderful in the cutting garden. The flowers are medium-sized in this vigorous bloomer. Enigma is a marvel of excellent breeding.
Cupani Original
A highly heat-tolerant heirloom sweet pea, Cupani Original features bright pink and purple bi-colored blooms.
‘Cupani Original’ is a strong grower and a very heat-tolerant heirloom variety of sweet peas. Named for Francis Cupani, the original sweet pea gardener, these bi-colored blooms are bright pink and purple and heavily fragrant. Between the color combination and the fragrance, this is a must-have for any garden.
Painted Lady
The ‘Painted Lady’ sweet pea boasts pink and white flowers with a delightful fragrance.
This pretty heirloom released in 1737 is a tried and true garden staple. It bears a striking similarity to the original garden sweet pea, with a color mutation that produces a pink and white flower, rather than pink and purple.
‘Painted Lady’ is heat tolerant, giving it a long blooming season, and has a lovely fragrance as well. The six to eight-foot vines are fast-growing and produce an abundance of blooms.
Lady Grisel Hamilton
A celebrated variety since the late 1890s, ‘Lady Grisel Hamilton’ features soft lavender hooded flowers.
‘Lady Grisel Hamilton’ is a much-celebrated variety that hails back to the late 1890s. The soft, lavender flowers are hooded and delicate with an exceptional fragrance. Flowers appear in groups of three or four to a stem, and the stems are long, making them a great choice for the cutting garden.
The more you pick this lovely heirloom variety, the more flowers it will produce. Not to mention, it will invite plenty of pollinators to the garden.
Blue Streamer
This is a mid-sized vine ideal for Memorial Day displays.
‘Blue Streamer’ would make an ideal complement to the America variety with very similar color patterns, except in blue. Planting these together would make for a stunning Memorial Day display.
The flowers are extra-large with ruffled edges on this large-sized vine. However, ‘Blue Streamer’ is compact enough to grow in containers and substantial enough to cover an arbor. The flowers have a soft, sweet fragrance.
Black Knight
Henry Eckford developed the Black Knight sweet pea, known for its deep maroon hue.
Henry Eckford is responsible for this marvel of a sweet pea. The flowers are striking in every sense, with a deep, velvety, maroon shade and strong fragrance. It’s wonderful as a climbing vine and also works well in a hanging basket, as it will trail if allowed.
Like most sweet peas, ‘Black Knight’ will self-sow under the right conditions. For self-sowing, stop cutting or deadheading late in the season and allow the plant to go to seed.
Matucana
An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, Matucana boasts fragrant rosy red and violet flowers.
‘Matucana’ isn’t just a pretty face with an interesting name. It is an award-winning cultivar and is said to be the more fragrant of all sweet peas, not to mention, the flowers are stunning.
This winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the RHS is very similar in appearance to ‘Cupani’s Original’, with rosy red and violet flowers. The flowers here are larger though, and even more fragrant than the original.
Cherub Northern Lights
This features a mix of irregularly streaked white flowers with shades of pink, purple, and yellow.
Part of the Cherub Series, ‘Northern Lights’ is a striking variety. Much like its namesake, the flowers are a mélange of different colors that seem to show up here and there in their own disordered fashion. White flowers are irregularly streaked with shades of pink, purple, and yellow, making this one of the most colorful cultivars.
This is also the smallest variety in this list. Therefore, it’s a perfect choice for your hanging baskets and containers.
Royal Family Blue
The Royal Family Blue boasts large, fragrant flowers in a rare shade of royal blue.
This gorgeous heirloom is rare and difficult to find. It is stunning, so there is no wonder this is such a sought-after variety. ‘Royal Family Blue’ has large, fragrant flowers and the most amazing shade of royal blue.
This is an exceptionally rare color for any flower. Blue is a bee’s favorite color, and this pretty vine will draw the bees right into your flower garden to do their work!
Flora Norton
A 1904 heirloom vine, Flora Norton’s flowers boast a perfect shade of clear sky blue.
Speaking of blue flowers, ‘Flora Norton’s’ flowers are the perfect shade of clear sky blue. This mid-sized vine is a 1904 heirloom and has remained incredibly popular for its excellent use as a cut flower.
Strong stems and beautifully formed flowers make this a wonderful addition to every garden. ‘Flora Norton’ was a winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1995.
Final Thoughts
Planting any of these wonderful vines in the garden is certain to bring joy and pollinators to your outdoor space. Not only are sweet peas visually beautiful and charming, but they smell amazing and work very well in cut floral arrangements, as well. Rather than planting just one variety, try out a combination of two or three for an unforgettable bouquet of beauty.
