How to Plant, Grow, and Care for ‘Beaujolais’ Sweet peas

Like a fine wine, beautiful ‘Beaujolais’ sweet peas bring full-bodied fragrance and color to any garden party or dining room table arrangement. These striking members of the Fabaceae (legume) family are of the “Spencer” type. This means they are sturdy and long-blooming with large, fragrant flowers and long, strong stems, making them wonderful for a cut flower garden and dressing up any trellis or arbor.

Sweetpeas are known for their beautiful, fragrant blooms that come in a wide variety of colors. These plants differ from edible garden sugar snap peas. They are mostly grown for use in floristry, where, despite their shorter vase life, they add tons of sweet-smelling personality to bouquets and cut arrangements. Let’s look at Beaujolais sweet peas and discuss how to care for them in your own garden. 

History

Sweet peas gained their name as a garden flower in the 1690s when they were shared by a Sicilian monastery gardener named Francisco Cupani. Historical records show that he began sending seeds of various varieties to friends with similar botanical interests.

From there, several new forms appeared in Britain in the ensuing two centuries, described in 1793 by seedsman John Mason. Henry Eckford of Scotland stepped onto the sweetpea scene in the late 1800s and was responsible for improving the plants that were available at the time. 

Eckford’s efforts led to a multitude of different colors, larger blooms, and more fragrant varieties. The next big thing in sweet pea breeding came as a result of a gardener working for the family of (Princess) Diana Spencer. Silas Cole bred his sweet peas for even larger flowers with ruffled petals.

Over the last century, breeding these pretty flowers has become a loved pastime for many gardeners, and over time, a great many colors, forms, and stronger fragrances have been achieved, including the iconic deep burgundy-colored ‘Beaujolais’ sweet peas.

Native Area

The sweet pea is native to Italy, specifically the southern part of the country, Sicily, and the Aegean Islands. There is some question as to their appearance in China and Sri Lanka, but the first recorded specimens were found in Sicily by Francisco Cupani in 1695.

Characteristics

‘Beaujolais’ sweet peas have a long blooming period and can even bloom into the summer and fall in milder climates. Their extra long, sturdy stems make them ideal for a cutting garden and floral arrangements.

This vining sweet pea likes to have a structure to climb. Plants reach about eight feet tall over their growing season and tolerate light frosts, so they can last into the colder months if the plants survive the summer. In very warm climates, most sweet peas will die back in the heat of summer. 

The flowers of this variety are a deep shade of wine red or burgundy. While most varieties of this shade are less fragrant, ‘Beaujolais’ has a rather strong scent. Their stems end in curling tendrils that cling to support, and pairs of green leaflets are an attractive medium green. 

Uses

Unlike their edible relatives, ornamental sweet peas are not edible and, in fact, are poisonous. Sweet pea flowers are grown for ornamental purposes and the florist industry.

These plants are also nitrogen-fixing, which means that they work symbiotically with root-dwelling bacteria to draw nitrogen into the soil via their roots. This makes them a good cover crop to provide nitrogen for future plants in the same space. 

Where to Buy ‘Beaujolais’ Sweet Peas

Planting

These are cool-weather plants, so they should be planted during the cooler months of the year for best results. In warm climates, sow them in late fall for early spring blooms. In cooler climates, sow your sweet pea seeds about four to six weeks before your last expected frost date.

Direct sowing is the best method for planting sweet pea seeds. Sow them about one inch deep in groups of three seeds, with six inches between groups. When your seedlings are about three inches tall, you can thin them to one seedling every six inches. 

Your sweet pea seeds should take about 10-21 days to germinate under ideal conditions. A soil temperature of 55-65°F (13-18°C) will result in the most rapid germination. Soaking is typically not necessary and is unlikely to impact germination. However, nicking your seeds can be helpful. Use a clean blade to lightly score the coat of the seed before planting.

How to Grow

Adapting sweet peas to your climate is one of the most important factors in the success of your plants. Because they like cooler weather, planting earlier or later depends on the average temperatures in your region. They are frost tolerant, so in regions that experience very hot summers, it is better to err on the side of planting too early than too late. 

Light

‘Beaujolais’ sweet peas need a fair amount of sunlight to grow and produce the greatest number of flowers. In cooler climates, plant your sweet pea seeds in an area that receives full sun exposure for at least six to eight hours per day. 

In warmer climates, it’s a good idea to choose a location that offers some shade in the afternoon. This will prolong the growing and blooming season because partial shade offers some protection from the summer heat. These plants like moisture around their roots, so it is important to keep the soil around their feet from drying out too quickly. 

Water

Sweet peas like a lot of water, but they don’t like wet feet. As long as they have proper drainage, you can expect to water your plants every one to two days while they are young and then once or twice a week once your plants are established. During times of drought, be sure to keep a closer watch on your plants, as they will likely need extra water during these periods. 

Soil

Sweet peas are not picky about soil composition, but they do need proper drainage because of their high moisture needs. If you have heavier clay soil that compacts easily, amend your soil with plenty of organic compost or manure to create a fertile and looser soil that is more conducive to root development. 

Your plants will appreciate fertile soil, so if your soil is sandy or otherwise poor, amending it with compost will increase the nutrition of your soil. A neutral to slightly alkaline pH is ideal for these plants.

Temperature and Humidity

Sweet peas need cool weather to grow and bloom their best. The ideal temperature for these plants is between 32-60°F (0-16°C). They are relatively frost tolerant, although a hard freeze may wipe them out. For this reason, in mild climates, fall planting is best as it gives them a longer period of cool weather before the summer heat sets in. 

Because they prefer moisture, higher humidity is not a problem and will actually aid in germination. ‘Beaujolais’ sweet peas do not grow well in hot, arid climates.

Fertilizing

Sweet peas like plenty of nutrients, but an excess of nitrogen can lead to a lot of green growth and a scarcity of flowers. Mixing a good quality balanced organic fertilizer into the soil at the time of planting will give your seedlings a healthy start. When the plants get close to blooming, giving them a fertilizer that is higher in potassium will help them produce more robust flowers.

Maintenance

Vining sweet peas need some type of support to grow. There are different methods of offering your plants support in the garden.

If you are growing these flowers for cutting purposes, use T-posts strung with floral netting. These plants will send out tendrils to cling to most types of support, but they can grow rapidly, which may necessitate tying them to your supports with twine. 

The plants benefit from pinching when the plant is young. This helps the plant to produce more branches and, as a result, more flowers. When the shoots reach about six inches tall, pinch off the top directly above a set of leaves. 

If you are planting in the fall, don’t pinch your young plants, as this can prevent dieback from the cold. A light frost will serve the same purpose and help create branching without causing damage to the plant. 

Deadheading or cutting flower stems is integral to a long blooming period. If flowers are left on the plant, they will go to seed, signaling to the plant that dormancy is imminent. This is the most high-maintenance part of growing sweet peas: you must harvest them regularly! Once you are nearing the end of the growing season, allow your plants to go to seed so that you have seeds to collect for next year. 

Growing in Containers

Sweet peas grow quite well in containers as long as they have enough space and their roots are disturbed as little as possible. Choose a pot that is deep and provides the plant with enough room to develop its roots so that you won’t have to disrupt the roots in re-potting. 

Provide potted plants with something to climb on, such as a small trellis. Give your containers plenty of sunshine and water them regularly. Use potting soil enhanced with compost or manure, and wait for a profusion of sweet-scented blossoms.

Propagation

Due to their annual nature, these fragrant flowering plants are most successfully propagated from seed. Near the end of the blooming season, as the weather begins to warm, allow your sweet pea flowers to go to seed. Then simply collect the seeds and store them in a cool, dry space until the next planting season. 

Common Problems

These flowers are appealing to some insects, and there are more than a few diseases that can be an issue for these plants. Watering properly and providing adequate air circulation are good preventive measures, but even the best gardeners still grapple with these issues from time to time. 

Pests

Aphids, thrips, and spider mites are all fond of sweet peas and can wreak havoc on your plants if the infestation gets out of hand. All of these insects suck the sweet sap from your plants, draining nutrients and leaving behind a mess of excrement and black sooty mold. 

Keeping your plants strong and healthy will help them withstand some pest damage, but getting rid of those insects is vital to maintaining a healthy garden. Encouraging predatory insects like ladybugs can be a very effective natural way to deal with insect infestation. Plant their host plants to bring them in and keep them in your garden. Neem oil is less damaging to pollinators if applied in the evening and allowed to dry. A light mist is all you need.  

Diseases

Root and crown rot can be a problem if the soil doesn’t have proper drainage. Since they need to be watered regularly, soil that has poor drainage can stay overly wet, allowing fungus to grow and damage your plants. The leaves may turn yellow and the roots will emit a foul smell. You may need to restart your crop and amend with drainage-promoting materials like perlite, compost, or peat moss.

Powdery mildew is another fungal disease that is common in growing sweet peas. This type of fungus grows on the leaves of your plant, depriving them of light and ultimately causing them to turn yellow and drop off. Maintaining good air circulation around your plants is the best way to combat this disease. Botrytis can also occur in these conditions.

These plants are susceptible to a few viral diseases, which creates a unique problem for the grower, as they are not curable. Mosaic viruses, tomato spotted wilt virus, and a virus transmitted by aphids can all affect this species. When a virus hits, it is important to remove the affected plant or plants, to preserve the integrity of nearby plants. 

Frequently Asked Questions