OWL'S ACRE SWEET PEAS
Sweet Peas for Exhibition and Garden
Heirloom Sweet Pea Seed
Gold Medal Sweet Peas
These are the sweet pea varieties which won a coveted RHS Gold Medal for us at the 2005 Wisley Flower Show.
Recommendations
These antique, or heirloom sweet peas produce masses of small highly scented flowers. Superb for informal garden decoration, but not recommended for cordon culture. Plant a clump in the border and let them sprawl at will or scramble over low shrubs or netting, filling the garden with their wonderful fragrance. The varieties 'Cupani' and 'Unique' make bushier, lower growing plants than the others and are particularly suitable for growing in containers.
Grandiflora sweet peas
Most of the varieties listed below are technically classed as grandifloras. The term came into being to distinguish the new sweet pea varieties being bred by Henry Eckford and others in the late C19th, which had larger flowers than had been available previously. By modern standards, flower size is quite modest, and so we have adopted the term "antique" to avoid any confusion. The term "Heirloom Sweet Peas" is also used for the same reason.
Naming
Few of these heirloom varieties of sweet pea have weathered the passage of time unchanged, and the true origin of some of the forms currently available is uncertain. I have retained the names in current commercial use, and indicated my opinion of their status in the text.
New Sweet Pea Book
A new booklet dealing comprehensively with these popular garden plants and growing them from seed is now available.
Purchase the Grandiflora Sweet Pea Book here.
Seed Prices
Seed of all Heirloom varieties is priced at £2.60 per packet of 20 seeds, or £1-60 per packet of 10 seeds. Please remember to add carriage charge to all orders.
America
Crimson flake sweet pea bred by Morse in 1896. Generally has 3 flowers per stem.
Annie B Gilroy
A bright cerise with wings a little paler than the standard, 3 or 4 flowers per stem.
Black Knight
Eckford, 1898. A very handsome dark maroon. One of the best of the grandiflora sweet peas.
Captain of the Blues
Bright blue wings and purple blue standard, with mostly 3 flowers to the stem.
Cupani
The original sweet pea of 1699. A rich bicolour with maroon standards and violet wings, 2 flowers per stem. Very bushy growth, and not so tall as the other varieties listed. Quite distinct from 'Matucana'.
Dorothy Eckford
A fine free flowering pure white grandiflora sweet pea with flowers carried in threes.
Fire & Ice
A superb variety with crimson flared standard and blue wings. A vigorous sweet pea with an outstanding scent.
Flora Norton
Introduced by Morse in 1905, this lovely clear light blue sweet pea has wings large in proportion to the standard.
Henry Eckford
Spectacular bright orange flowers on a plant of moderate growth. Presumably an improved version of the original as this has 3 or 4 good sized flowers instead of the 2 small ones mentioned in early references. A very free flowering sweet pea.
Janet Scott
A very attractive clear pink heirloom sweet pea with 3, or sometimes 4, flowers to each stem.
King Edward VII
Introduced by Eckford in 1903, and described as easily the best grandiflora sweet pea of its colour. Crimson, 3 flowers per stem.
Lady Grisel Hamilton
A lovely clear lavender sweet pea with hooded flowers carried in threes. Introduced by Eckford in 1895 when it received an Award of Merit from the R.H.S.
Lady Turral
A more recent bicolour sweet pea with magenta standard and lilac wings. 2 to 3 flowers per stem.
Lord Nelson
Introduced by House in 1907, this is a rich, dark blue self. In America it was sold by Burpee under the name 'Brilliant Blue'. One of the finest heirloom sweet peas.
Matucana
A striking bicolour sweet pea with maroon-purple standard and purple-blue wings. This originated in Peru sometime in the 20th century and has 4 flowers on a stem. Often confused with 'Cupani'.
Miss Willmott
Eckford 1900. A showy sweet pea with deep salmon pink flowers.
Mrs Collier
A splendid rich cream with 3 flowers to a stem. One of the very finest grandiflora sweet peas.
Mrs Walter Wright
Eckford 1902. A fine deep lavender self coloured sweet pea with well shaped flowers of good size.
Painted Lady
This popular old sweet pea has a deep pink standard and white wings with pink veins. 3 or 4 flowers on each stem.
Prima Donna
The famous pale pink sweet pea introduced by Eckford in 1896, which subsequently gave rise to the "Spencer" mutation. Generally has 3 flowers on a stem.
Purple Prince
An Eckford introduction, dating from before 1894. Dark maroon ⁄ purple bicolour flowers on tall plants.
Queen Alexandra
Eckford, 1905. This fine scarlet with its bold standard was one of his finest achievements, far excelling other grandiflora sweet peas of similar colouring. Makes a good cut flower and is very suitable for growing through rose bushes or other shrubs.
Queen of the Isles
A crimson ⁄ magenta bicolour flake sweet pea bred by Eckford and dating from 1885. It has 3 flowers on a stem.
Senator
Introduced by Eckford in 1891, this has a bold, chocolate maroon flake standard and purple flake wings. A vigorous sweet pea with 4 flowers on a stem.
Unique
Introduced by Stark in 1904, this is a very short growing sweet pea, ideal for growing in containers.
Violet Queen
Introduced in 1877. A distinctive tall growing sweet pea with deep mauve standard and violet purple wings.
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© 2005-2008 Mark Rowland