Sweet Pea ‘Chloranthus’

Lathyrus chloranthus

Features

  • Cut-and-come-again
  • Foliage & Filler
  • Toxic
  • Vine

Description

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 thicker-than-average seed coating and will take longer to germinate than other varieties.

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

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 4 to 6 ft
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 80 days
Plant spacing: 8 in
Pinch: when 4 to 6 in tall

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

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.

Details

Description

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 thicker-than-average seed coating and will take longer to germinate than other varieties.

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

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 4 to 6 ft
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 80 days
Plant spacing: 8 in
Pinch: when 4 to 6 in tall

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

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.

Sources

How to Grow

Seed-Saving Mini Course

Learn how to save seed from zinnia, dahlia, and celosia

In our upcoming free, three-part video series, you’ll learn everything you need to know to save seeds on a home scale, including how plants are pollinated and isolation techniques to ensure varieties come back true, how to tell when plants are ready to pick and how to harvest the seeds, and how to properly dry, clean, and store seeds long term.