'Sweet Dreams' Sweet Pea Seeds

The 'Sweet Dreams' Sweet Pea mixture contains hardy annuals offering summer interest. The plants set exhibition quality blooms in an array of captivating colors. Borne in clusters on winged stems with paired leaflets, the highly fragrant flowers attract butterflies and make superb cut flowers for summer bouquets— and the more you cut, the more it blooms.

The 'Sweet Dreams' Sweet Pea mix contains Lathyrus odoratus varieties, which are cottage garden favorites. The herbaceous plants have a vining habit of tendrilled, medium to dark green foliage. Allow sweet peas to grow as a bushy mound, to meander on the garden floor, or to twine on supports. Vertical growth up a frame will produce straighter stems for cut flowers. If allowed to climb, it will reach 6 feet in a single season. Use in beds or borders or as a privacy screen.

Sweet peas prefer full sun and rich, humusy, moist, well-drained soil but tolerate some light shade and a wide range of soils. It is important to keep them well-watered throughout the season because they will go to seed faster in dry soil. They perform best in cool soils, so hot, humid summers can be challenging and mulching the base of plants helps to maintain moisture levels and cool roots. Although sweet peas are low maintenance plants, deadheading spent flowers keeps sweat peas blooming and discourages unwanted self-seeding. Deer them alone.

Direct sow sweet pea seed after the last frost date, about mid-spring when the soil is warm, or start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost and transplant into the garden when all threat of frost has passed. In regions with warm winters, seed may be sown in late fall for a late winter or early spring bloom. Be sure to add a generous helping of compost or manure when planting to encourage deep roots.