Lathyrus odoratus Erewhon - Sweet Pea Seeds

'Erewhon' (also known as Lathyrus odoratus x belinensis Erewhon) is a novelty sweet pea variety that came as a small revolution in the sweet pea world! Its reverse bicolouration, obtained by years of research by Dr Keith Hammett, means that this little hybrid grandiflora has flowers with dark purplish-blue lower petals and pale pink upper petals. This annual climber is vigorous, abundantly-flowering and has a distinctive sweet scent. It will climb up any support in no time and will be stunning in a bouquet. Grow in a sunny location in fertile, moist soil.

‘Erewhon’ is an annual herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family recently obtained by the crossing of Lathyrus odoratus (originating from south-eastern Italy and Sicily) and Lathyrus belinensis, also an annual, discovered in Turkey in 1988. ‘Erewhon’ is a climbing variety that can reach up to 1.80 m in height and 30 cm in width in the space of a few months. It's quadrangular winged stems have stipules at their base, bear pairs of light-green leaflets and end in a terminal tendril. Flowering takes place from May to August. The papilionaceous flowers are medium-sized and grouped in axillary clusters of gently wavy blooms. The flowers are composed of 5 petals: a pale pink standard, and deep blue-violet free wing and fused petals. They give off an intense yet delicate fragrance, quite different from that of Lathyrus grandiflora varieties. The fruit is a flat pod that splits at maturity, forcibly expelling its seeds away from the plant. It is essential to regularly remove wilted flowers, as seed production stunts flowering. Sweet peas root deeply in the ground to find water and nutrients.

Sweet peas are irreplaceable, their charming and old-fashioned flowers make quaint bouquets, look stunning in hanging baskets will soon cover up an old garden wall or fence. They are beautiful in summer flower beds, where they will use neighbouring plants or shrubs as a support. They can also form colourful carpets when grown as ground cover. Sweet peas are a must-have in cottage gardens alongside peonies, hollyhocks, fox gloves, peach leaved bellflowers, and columbines. They also do well in the fertile and well-watered soil of the vegetable garden, where they can be used as cut flowers.

Note on Lathyrus belinensis: this species is closely related to L. odoratus, but both species do not produce a viable hybrid under normal conditions. ‘Erewhon’ was created using laboratory techniques and, although it itself is sterile, it produces fertile descendants when it is re-crossed with L. odoratus. The hybridization work between the two species was originally carried out in the hope of obtaining a yellow sweet pea from Lathyrus belinensis. Though this proved unsuccessful, efforts to transfer the dominant powdery mildew-resistant gene from L. belinensis seem more promising. Hybrids between L. odoratus and L. belinensis often have flowers with unusual and unexpected colours.