Rocket (also known by the botanical name Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa) is a fantastically easy-to-grow edible; it’s a productive plant with leaves that bring a deliciously peppery flavour to salads and culinary dishes. I really enjoy rocket leaves eaten fresh in a salad. One of my favourite simple suppers is a jacket potato with rocket and avocado. However, you can also cook with rocket, as these leaves produce delicious soups.
Rhinanthus minor (often called Yellow Rattle) is a hardy annual wildflower with handsome yellow flowers that are held hostage by pumped up, yet slightly flattened, calyxes, each one flanked by a toothed green leaf. Plants grow in meadows, grasslands, and prairies, flowering during the summer moths. This is a widespread species that’s a native plant of many European countries.
If you’re looking for a glimpse of Rhinanthus minor, you’ll often find this wildflower growing in grassy places.
Helianthus annuus ‘Little Dorrit’ is a rather charming little sunflower that’s short in stature and very sweet. Plants grow to around 60cm (2ft) tall. Each Helianthus annuus ‘Little Dorrit’ plant produces a stout and sturdy stem that holds these stunning single flowers, with dark raised centres, encircled by a ring of golden yellow petals. The blooms are large in comparison to the demure height of the plant but they’re not over-sized.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘White Supreme’ is a white flowered sweet pea that was bred by Bernard Jones and introduced in 1990. This variety is very popular with exhibition growers and is often seen in village horticultural society flower shows. A lovely sweet pea to have in the garden; Lathyrus odoratus ‘White Supreme’ plants produce white, scented flowers with a lovely perfume.
Plant Lathyrus odoratus ‘White Supreme’ in a bright and sunny position, in moist but well-drained fertile soil.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Wild Swan’ is a beautiful white flowered sweet pea that produces these very pretty frilly flowers. The blooms are large in size, with an attractive form and quite a nice scent. This is a good choice of cultivar if you desire sweet peas for cut flowers, or you’re growing for exhibition, or to enhance your summer garden.
Plant Lathyrus odoratus ‘Wild Swan’ in a sunny or partially shaded position, in any moist but well-drained soil.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Invicta’ is a Spencer sweet pea cultivar, which produces these gorgeous white coloured, frilly flowers. This sweet pea was raised by Phil Christmas, who lives near Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. Invicta is a latin word meaning undefeated, it’s the motto of Kent, a county in Southern England.
This sweet pea is a hardy, annual climber, which is easily grown and ideal for inclusion in a cut flower garden or grow Lathyrus odoratus ‘Invicta’ as a lovely decoration to enhance your summer garden.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Black Knight’ is an Old Fashioned sweet pea cultivar that was introduced by the renowned sweet pea breeder, Henry Eckford, in 1898. Plants produce rich maroon-purple coloured flowers. Lathyrus odoratus ‘Black Knight’ small sized flowers are borne on stems holding two, three, or four flowers; plants also produce some single flowered stems.
This is a tall, climbing sweet pea variety that grows up to around 2.4m (8ft) tall.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘April in Paris’ is a Modern Grandiflora sweet pea cultivar that produces ivory-cream coloured flowers, which feature a gently wavering narrow picotee edge of a mauve-pink colouration and become more suffused with the same tone of mauve as the blooms age.
This is a hardy annual. Lathyrus odoratus ‘April in Paris’ is an easy to grow climber, which will provide you with cut flowers and will bring both charm and scent to your garden.
Crimson flowered broad beans are great fun! These rather glamorous plants are the crimson flowered form of broad beans. Plants produce large cerise coloured flowers, which are followed by green broad bean pods, filled with green broad beans.
Broad bean ‘Crimson Flowered’ (also known by their botanical name of Vicia faba) are superb plants for bumble bees who delight in feeding on their flowers’ nectar.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Wretham Pink’ is an Old Fashioned sweet pea cultivar that produces gorgeous pale sugar pink coloured flowers.
This is a fragrant sweet pea cultivar that forms tall, climbing plants that will grow up to around 2m (6.5ft) tall. Plants are self-clinging; these sweet peas will need a tall, sturdy support frame – a wigwam or trellis is ideal. Lathyrus odoratus ‘Wretham Pink’ plants produce many tendrils to attach themselves as they climb.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cupani’ is often referred to as the original sweet pea, as its appearance is very similar indeed to the sweet pea form that was discovered by a Sicilian monk named Francis Cupani, back in the 1690s. Modern sweet pea cultivars descend from this old, but very special and much loved sweet pea.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cupani’ produces slightly smaller sized blooms than the similar looking Lathyrus odoratus ‘Matucana’.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Mrs Bernard Jones’ is a Spencer sweet pea, with rosey-pink coloured, ruffled blooms. This sweet pea cultivar was raised by the renowned sweet pea breeder Bernard Jones, it was first introduced in 1981. Bernard must have been fond of this particular cultivar, as he named this plant especially for his wife.
I don’t think of this sweet pea as having much of a fragrance, but Lathyrus odoratus ‘Mrs Bernard Jones’ is still a popular cultivar with gardeners today, over 38 years after the plant’s introduction.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Lord Nelson’ is an Old Fashioned Sweet Pea cultivar, which was first introduced back in 1907. This sweet pea really stands out in the garden, as the plants produces attractive, dark purple-navy coloured flowers – this flower’s standard petals are a deep indigo colour, while the wing petals are coloured in the darkest navy blue. The overall look is quite striking.
Lathyrus x hammettii ‘Erewhon’ was created after 30 years of plant breeding; a labour of love for Plant Breeder, Dr. Keith Hammett. Bi-coloured sweet pea flowers usually display darker coloured standard petals and paler coloured wing petals. Lathyrus x hammettii ‘Erewhon’ is a reverse bi-colour – with rosey-lilac pink coloured standard petals and lavender-blue-violet coloured wing petals. The flowers are medium sized.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Dorothy Eckford’ is an Old Fashioned Sweet Pea cultivar, that was grown by the famous sweet pea breeder, Henry Eckford, and introduced in 1903. Henry Eckford named this sweet pea cultivar after his daughter, Dorothy.
It’s amazing to think that well over 100 years after its introduction that we’re all still growing ‘Dorothy Eckford’. Lathyrus odoratus ‘Dorothy Eckford’ produces medium sized, white flowers.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cream Southbourne’ is a Spencer Sweet Pea cultivar, which was bred by Ken Colledge and introduced in 1982. This is a super sweet pea! Plants produce cream coloured, slightly frilly flowers, which have an exceptional fragrance. The perfume is sweet, heady, and intoxicating; it’s absolutely gorgeous!
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cream Southbourne’ is a hardy annual climber, that grows to around 1.8m (6ft) tall.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Charlie’s Angel’ is a Spencer Sweet Pea cultivar, which was raised by Charles Hamner and introduced for sale in 1990. The Royal Horticultural Society awarded ‘Charlie’s Angel’ an Award of Garden Merit in 1993, which has been retained ever since. Lathyrus odoratus ‘Charlie’s Angel’ plants produce large, silvery-lilac-blue coloured flowers from late spring or early summertime, until the first frosts arrive in autumn.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Sir Max Hastings’ is a Spencer Sweet Pea cultivar, which was raised and introduced by Somerset growers, Phil and Joyce Kerton, in 2009.
I’ve not found my Lathyrus odoratus ‘Sir Max Hastings’ flowers to be fragrant, but many other growers praise this sweet pea’s perfume. I only wish that I could say the same. However there is much to recommend this sweet pea cultivar for; Lathyrus odoratus ‘Sir Max Hastings’ plants produce large frilly, raspberry-burgundy coloured flowers.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Romeo’ is a Modern Grandiflora Sweet Pea cultivar, which was introduced by Unwins Seeds, in 2000. This is a lovely sweet pea to grow. Plants produce white flowers with a purple-blue picotee edge. One of the best things about this sweet pea is its fragrance, the flowers are highly perfumed, they produce a delicious, sweet and heady perfume.
There are a number of sweet pea cultivars that produce similar looking flowers.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Annie B. Gilroy’ was bred by the renowned sweet pea breeder, Henry Eckford. This sweet pea cultivar was introduced for the first time in 1907. A delightfully vivid flowered sweet pea cultivar, Lathyrus odoratus ‘Annie B. Gilroy’ plants produce vibrantly coloured, cerise-magenta coloured flowers.
The wing petals of Lathyrus odoratus ‘Annie B. Gilroy’ blooms are a fraction of a paler shade of magenta than the standard petals, so if you’re looking to order seed of this sweet pea cultivar online, don’t forget to look in the ‘Bi-Colour’ section of your seed merchant’s website.
