This spring the nursery is offering several strains of fancy annual sweet peas, grown organically in 6-pack flats by the jolly folks at Kassenhoff Growers. These include a couple of dainty, small-flowered “heritage” sweet pea varieties such as the heavenly-scented purple and blue bicolor Cupani. (This was discovered in Sicily in the 1690’s by the Italian monk Cupani, who may or may not have inspired the Austrian monk Mendel’s later work with edible peas.) Another oldie but goodie is the lovely rose and cream bicolor Painted Lady, so called, perhaps, because its intense scent suggests cheap perfume wafting from dark alleys? Who knows. It’s said to be especially fragrant in the early evening, and will grow 6 to 7 feet tall.

Other fragrant tall varieties to sniff out are:

Unwin’s Striped Mix, cream and white blossoms veined and edged with scarlet, blue, salmon-rose, lilac, purple and chocolate!

Cuthbertson, single colors: white, blue, lavender and pink.

Royal Mix, large blossoms in white, rose, scarlet, purple, crimson and lavender.

Mammoth Mix, large blossoms in crimson, lavender, salmon, navy blue, deep rose, rose pink, and salmon pink.

Bijou, last and least is the petite Bijou strain, in mixed pastel colors, growing to about 12 inches, an especially swell sweet pea for pots.

To produce stronger, bushier plants, pinch back the tops of sweet pea seedlings when they reach 10-12 inches. Remember that the tall varieties need good support—a fence, teepee or trellis—and are best grown in full sun with regular watering. Mulch the roots to keep them cool, fertilize lightly, protect from herbivorous mollusks and (since seed pods will shorten the blooming season) please pick the flowers!