Photo: KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sweet pea

Lathyrus odoratus

Also called Annual sweet pea, Garden sweet pea, Sweet peas and 3 more names

بازلاء عطرية

A scented, frilly-flowered climber for Dubai's cool months, sown from October or November on a trellis and finished by April. Its seeds are poisonous: this is a flower, not a pea to eat.

Mature size0.3–2 m tall, 0.3–0.6 m spreadGrowthFastSunFull sunWaterModerate

Heat: 1 of 5

Salt: 2 of 5

Drought: 2 of 5

Shade: 2 of 5

Ease of care: 2 of 5

Use in a design Get it looked after

Sweet pea is a flower, not a vegetable. Its seeds and pods are poisonous if eaten, so keep them away from children and pets, and never plant it among edible peas.

Also known as

The other names Sweet pea is sold and searched under.

English names: Annual sweet pea
Garden sweet pea
Sweet peas
Arabicالعربية: بازلاء عطرية
Malayalamമലയാളം: സ്വീറ്റ് പീ Sweet pea
Persianفارسی: گل نخودی Gol-e nokhodi

Season

Through the Dubai year

How Sweet pea behaves through Dubai's seasons, month by month.

JJan

FFeb

MMar

AApr

MMay

JJun

JJul

AAug

SSep

OOct

NNov

DDec

Avg high °C

24°

26°

29°

34°

38°

40°

42°

40°

36°

31°

27°

Sow seed in the cooling soil

Scented flowers in the coolest months

Jan – Mar

Light liquid feed

Vines give up in the heat

Sow seed in the cooling soil: Oct–Nov
Acacia Garden Center lists sweet peas among its November cool-weather flowers. The sowing window is our reading of that and of NC State's cool-weather advice; no Dubai Municipality list names sweet pea.
Scented flowers in the coolest months: Jan–Mar
Pick or deadhead before pods form: the seeds are the poisonous part.
Light liquid feed: Dec–Feb
NC State describes sweet pea as wanting rich, fertile soil; a balanced liquid feed every few weeks helps on sandy ground.
Vines give up in the heat: Apr–May
NC State says sweet pea struggles in hot summers. Dubai's mean high is 33.7 °C in April and 38.2 °C in May.

Sweet pea's Dubai season is a short, cool one. Seed goes in from October to November, when the mean high is still 35.9 °C then 30.7 °C, so keep the soil moist and shade the seedlings through any warm spells. Vines climb through December and January, and flowers are at their best from late January into March, when mean highs sit between 24 and 29 °C. By April, with highs at 33.7 °C, the flowers shrink and the vines turn yellow; most gardens clear them in April and sow summer bedding such as Vinca or Portulaca.

Meet the plant

Meet the Sweet pea

Meet the sweet pea, the flower that scents a whole terrace. Frilled, butterfly-shaped blooms in pink, mauve, red, white and deep maroon open in clusters on a climbing vine, and the scent, strong and honeyed, is the reason people grow it. In a cool Dubai January it is one of the few climbers that can fill a trellis with colour and perfume at the same time.

It is a plant of the Mediterranean, native to Sicily, southern Italy and the Aegean islands, and it expects cool weather. The vine climbs by tendrils, reaching one to two metres when it has something to climb, and lives out its life in a single season. NC State describes it as a cool-weather annual that struggles in hot summers, which is why Dubai gives it a season of about four months and no more.

The mood is cottage-garden rather than desert: a bamboo wigwam in a pot by the door, a string of wire along a sunny wall, a small bed of dwarf types at the front of a border. It is a seasonal pleasure and a short one, and that is part of its charm.

Lathyrus odoratus is an annual climbing vine in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to Sicily, southern Italy and the Aegean islands. Wikipedia gives its height as 1 to 2 metres where it has support, and describes the blooms as usually strongly scented; NC State adds that it grows as a bush of about 90 cm or climbs to about 2.4 metres, that it needs rich, fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter, and that it prefers evenly moist soil and cool weather. Dwarf types are sold in the UAE as seed: Plantsworld and Green Souq both list the 'Nain Mix', a compact mix, in 6 g packs.

Gulf News's 2006 list of annuals for Dubai puts sweet pea under 'annuals for moist and cool conditions', alongside calendula and pansy, and Acacia Garden Center lists sweet peas, with stock, pansies and violas, as cool-weather flowers that put on their best show in Dubai's winter. NC State says it struggles in hot, humid summers, noting that the cultivar 'Old Spice' is regarded as heat-tolerant. In Dubai, where the mean high is 35.9 °C in October and 30.7 °C in November, seed is sown in October or November and the plants flower through the cooler months, finishing as April approaches 33.7 °C.

Sweet pea needs care, and it has one real hazard. The sandy soil must be enriched with compost and kept evenly moist, and the vine needs a trellis, wigwam or string to climb. The hazard is its seed: NC State describes the fruits as inedible and poisonous to humans, listing the seeds as the poisonous part, and the Massey University poisonous plants database and Pet Poison Helpline both report toxicity from sweet pea seeds in animals. It is a flower to enjoy, not a pea to eat.

Design

Where to use it

Scented screen on a trellisPot wigwam by a doorCut flowersDwarf edging

Give sweet pea a sunny wall or fence with wire, a trellis, or a bamboo wigwam in a large pot, and a bed of soil enriched with compost. It is a seasonal climber, so use it where the structure can stay bare or be reused for something else in summer, such as a heat-tolerant climber. Put it near a seat or a door so the scent is used. The dwarf 'Nain' mixes sold in the UAE suit pots and the front of a border. Keep seed packets and pods away from children and pets.

Petunia

Petunia fills the ground at the foot of the trellis and shares the same October to January planting season.

Snapdragon

Snapdragon spikes stand in front of a sweet pea wall, and both are cool-season flowers that Dubai gardens clear in April.

Dianthus

Dianthus is a low, scented cool-season flower for the front of the bed beneath the vines.

Marigold

Marigold's orange and gold warm up the pinks and mauves of sweet pea, and takes the same autumn planting.

Care guide

How to grow it in Dubai

Watering: Summer: Not grown outdoors through a Dubai summer; the vines are cleared by April or May.
Winter: Water deeply two or three times a week at the base, keeping the soil evenly moist; NC State recommends evenly moist soil.
Establishment: Keep the seed bed evenly moist until the seedlings are up, and shade them through any hot spell in October or early November.
Soil: Rich, fertile, free-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Dig compost into Dubai's sandy ground before sowing.
Feeding: Compost at planting, then a balanced liquid feed every 2 to 3 weeks once the vines are climbing.
Pruning: Pinch out the growing tips of young vines to encourage branching; pick flowers often and remove old ones before they form pods.
Planting: Sow the large seeds a couple of centimetres deep, from October to November, where they are to grow, at the foot of a support.
Pests: AphidsSlugs and snails on young seedlings

The care steps and the full guide, in WhatsApp. You pick who gets them.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Treating it as an edible pea. NC State says sweet pea fruits are inedible and poisonous to humans, and warns against planting it near edible peas.
Leaving seed pods where children or pets can reach them. The seeds are the poisonous part, so pick flowers before pods form and clear fallen seeds.
Sowing in a hot October spell with no shade. Seed in soil heated by 36 °C days dries out fast; sow as the soil cools, or shade the seed bed.
Planting in poor, dry sand. Sweet pea wants rich, moist soil, and unamended sandy ground dries out quickly (the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture notes sandy Dubai soils need frequent irrigation).
Forgetting the support. The vine climbs by tendrils and needs something to hold from the first weeks.

Extra notes

Good to know

Sweet pea is a flower of the pea family, but its seeds are poisonous: NC State lists them as the poisonous part and describes the fruits as inedible.
The ASPCA's 'Sweet Pea' page covers the perennial pea, Lathyrus latifolius, not this annual, and lists it as toxic to horses; the Massey University database describes sweet pea seeds as toxic to cattle, sheep and dogs.
Wikipedia says the seeds of the genus Lathyrus are toxic if eaten in quantity, and that the vine climbs by tendrils to a height of 1 to 2 metres with support.
The 'Nain' mixes on Dubai shop pages are compact types, useful for pots; the climbing types need a taller support.

Toxicity: Poisonous if eaten, especially the seeds. NC State describes the fruits as inedible and poisonous to humans, and Pet Poison Helpline reports toxicity from the whole plant, including the seeds, with neuromuscular signs after large amounts; livestock and poultry are at higher risk than pets. Massey University's database names the seeds as the toxic part and lists cattle, sheep and dogs as affected. The ASPCA's own Sweet Pea page covers a different species, the perennial pea. Treat as toxic: keep seeds and pods away from children, pets and livestock, and never grow it as a pea.

Pros

Strongly scented flowers in many colours, and good for cutting
A climber that covers a trellis in a single cool season
Dwarf mixes suit pots and bed edges
Sold as seed in the UAE and easy to start from large seeds
Listed as a Dubai annual for moist, cool conditions

Cons

Seeds and pods are poisonous to people and animals
Struggles in heat, so the display is over by April
Needs rich soil kept evenly moist, which sandy ground does not give
Needs a trellis or string to climb

FAQ

Common questions

When should I sow sweet peas in Dubai?

In October and November, as the soil cools and the mean high drops from 35.9 to 30.7 °C. Acacia Garden Center lists sweet peas among its November cool-weather flowers. Keep the seed bed moist and shade the seedlings through any warm spell.

Are sweet peas edible?

No. NC State describes sweet pea fruits as inedible and poisonous to humans, and says not to plant sweet peas near edible peas. The seeds are the poisonous part.

Are sweet peas safe for pets?

No. Pet Poison Helpline reports toxicity throughout the plant, including the seeds, and the Massey University database lists dogs among the animals affected by the seeds. The ASPCA's Sweet Pea page covers a different species. Keep seeds and pods away from pets.

Why have my sweet peas stopped flowering in April?

Heat. NC State says sweet pea struggles in hot summers, and Dubai's mean high is 33.7 °C in April and 38.2 °C in May. It is a cool-season annual here and is cleared by about April.

Do sweet peas need a trellis?

The climbing types do: they reach 1 to 2 metres by tendrils and need a trellis, wire, netting or bamboo. The compact Nain mixes sold in the UAE are shorter and suit pots.

Not sure how it suits your garden?

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