Sweet Pea Chloranthus

Product Description

Sweet Pea Chloranthus
Lathyrus chloranthus

I’ve longed to grow these sweet peas for many years and have finally gotten my hands on some of this hard-to-find seed. Delicate vines are covered in the most unusual acid-green miniature-flowered sweet peas that look like tiny alien faces. As blooms age, the backs of the petals show copper-orange veining. While the flowers don’t have any fragrance, they are worth growing for their unusual coloring and ability to double as a foliage. This variety has a tough seed coating and must be nicked and soaked for 12 to 24 hours before sowing. Germination is slow, so be patient.

*Please note: Unlike garden peas, sweet pea seeds are poisonous if ingested. Use caution around children and pets.*

Details:
Plant type: annual
Height: 4-6 feet
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 80 days
Plant spacing: 6-8”
Pinch: when 6” tall
Approx seeds per packet: 10

How to Grow:
This variety has a tough seed coating and must be nicked and soaked for 12 to 24 hours before sowing. Germination is slow, so be patient. In mild areas, seed can be sown in pots in the fall, overwintered in a sheltered spot, and planted out in spring. Everywhere else, sow seed 10 to 12 weeks before last frost and transplant out right around last frost. Provide a strong trellis or support for vines to climb.

Harvesting/Vase Life:
While flowers are beautiful, their stems are so short that they are not typically grown as a cut flower. Instead of harvesting individual blooms, harvest entire vining stems. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days.