The sweet pea is beloved for its ruffled, butterfly-like flowers and, above all, its exquisite fragrance. A climbing annual in soft, romantic colors, it’s a favourite of cottage gardeners and cut-flower lovers alike.
Sweet Pea at a glance
- Botanical name: Lathyrus odoratus
- Family: Fabaceae
- Bloom season: late spring to summer
- Symbolism: blissful pleasure, gratitude, and goodbye
About the sweet pea
Sweet peas are climbing annuals that scramble up supports with tendrils, producing clusters of delicately scented blooms. The more you pick them, the more they flower. Despite the name, sweet peas are ornamental only — their seeds are toxic and not to be confused with edible garden peas.
Sweet Pea meaning and symbolism
The sweet pea symbolizes blissful pleasure and gratitude, and is traditionally given as a thank-you or a fond farewell. It’s a secondary birth flower for April.
Types of sweet pea
Popular varieties worth knowing:
- Old-fashioned / heirloom — smaller flowers, strongest scent
- Spencer types — large, ruffled, long-stemmed blooms
- Dwarf / bush — non-climbing types for pots and edging
- Colors — pink, purple, red, white, and bicolors
How to grow and care for sweet pea
A few essentials keep this flower thriving:
- Soak the seeds and sow in early spring (or autumn in mild climates)
- Give full sun and rich, moist, well-drained soil
- Provide a trellis or netting for the tendrils to climb
- Keep picking the flowers to encourage more blooms
- Note: sweet pea seeds are toxic and not edible
Sweet Pea FAQs
Do sweet peas smell?
Yes — fragrance is the sweet pea’s signature. Heirloom and old-fashioned varieties tend to be the most strongly scented, though some large modern types have less perfume.
Are sweet peas edible?
No. Despite the name, ornamental sweet peas are not edible; their seeds are toxic. They should not be confused with the edible garden pea, which is a different plant.
How do you grow sweet peas?
Soak and sow the seeds in cool weather, give them a support to climb, rich soil, and full sun, and keep picking the flowers regularly to prolong the display.
Explore more
Browse more flower profiles, learn about flower meanings, or find your birth flower.