VegetableSweet pea
High Scent Sweet Pea
Heirloom Variety
High Scent Sweet Pea lives up to its name as the most intensely fragrant variety of sweet peas you can grow, developed by New Zealand botanist Dr Keith Hammett for gardeners who prize perfume above all else. These vigorous climbing vines reach 4-6 feet tall in zones 3-9, producing enchanting ruffled blooms in soft cream hues kissed with delicate lavender fringes. Ready for cutting in 70-79 days, just one or two stems can fill an entire room with their honey-like aroma that draws bees and butterflies from remarkable distances.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, Slightly Alkaline
Preferred Temp50-75°F
Growth Stats
72 in
Height
—
Width
6 in
Spacing
70–79
Days to Harvest
PeriodAnnual
TypeVine, Forb/herb
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Zones
3-9
Size
72in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
What sets High Scent apart is its unrivaled fragrance intensity that makes it the pinnacle choice when scent matters most. The mesmerizing ruffled petals blend soft cream and mauve tones with delicate lavender edges, creating blooms that are as visually stunning as they are aromatic. This variety excels as a cut flower, producing long sturdy stems perfect for spring bouquets, while its vigorous climbing habit makes it ideal for decorating fences, trellises, and cottage garden arbors.
Common Uses
High Scent Sweet Pea serves as the ultimate cut flower variety, producing long sturdy stems laden with intensely fragrant blooms perfect for spring bouquets and arrangements. Beyond cutting gardens, these climbing vines excel at decorating cottage gardens, arbors, back borders, fences, and trellises, making them ideal for lounging spaces and pathways where their honey-like fragrance can be fully appreciated. They create spectacular fragrant centerpieces in smaller beds and serve as excellent background plantings with vertical support.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Late Spring
First Harvest
Late Spring
Last Harvest
Early Summer
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4-5 weeks before the last frost, sowing 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in 72-cell flats or deep-cell containers. Darkness is required for germination. Soaking seeds overnight in water or rubbing with sandpaper and soaking in 110°F water for one hour will boost germination rates.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings 4-6 weeks before the average last frost date when soil temperature reaches 55-65°F. Seedlings can tolerate light frost.
Direct Sow
Direct sowing is preferred. Sow 2-3 seeds every 6 inches when soil reaches 55-65°F, typically 4-6 weeks before the last frost in cold climates or late fall to early winter in mild climates for spring bloom.
Harvesting
Harvest cut flowers in the morning when blooms are freshest and petals are just opening. Cut stems when half the flowers are open using a clean knife dipped in 10% household bleach solution. Regular harvesting of flowers actually increases overall bloom production.
Pruning
Pinch the growing point when seedlings reach 6-8 inches tall (about 10 inches according to some sources) to encourage denser branching and more flowers. This pinching is essential for maximizing bloom production on the climbing vines.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Lathyrus odoratus L.
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Lathyrus
Duration
Annual
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“This irresistible variety was developed in Auckland, New Zealand, by botanist and ornamental specialist Dr Keith Hammett, who focused on creating sweet peas with supreme fragrance. Sweet peas themselves originated in the Mediterranean, specifically Sicily, southern Italy, and the Aegean Islands, before spreading wild across many climates worldwide and becoming beloved in millions of cultivated gardens for their color and intoxicating scent.”