What's in Season?

Sweet Pea:

If you are planning a country cottage feeling to your wedding, the Sweet pea is the flower of choice.

The Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant that is actually in the legumes family. Sweet peas have been cultivated since the 17th century. Henry Eckford, a nurseryman of Scottish descent, cross-bred and developed the sweet pea, turning it from a rather insignificant, if sweetly scented flower, into the floral sensation of the late Victorian era.

The stems spin and twine around themselves and the flowers resemble delicate fringed butterflies. The old-fashioned varieties are selected for their vibrant colours and intense fragrance. Sweet peas are available in almost every colour, red, pink, blue, white and lavender, but never in yellow.

Sweet peas lend a cottage feel to gardens. They are often grown on bamboo tripods, walls, trellis and any other garden feature. If you are planning a garden wedding in a family garden, having sweet peas growing on such structures would be a beautiful way of bringing colour and shape to your unique day.