SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THESE

Instagrammer Olga Grieves is passionate about growing sweet peas. This month she shares her favourite varieties and explains how to create a stunning display

- Olga Grieves

Did you know sweet pea seeds first arrived in England in 1699 from Sicily, thanks to a Sicilian monk named Francesco Cupani? We've come a long way since then but the history of the varieties that now grace our gardens and allotments is fascinating.

When buying seeds certain names crop up repeatedly. If, like me, you're an obsessive flower sniffer and a devoted sweet pea grower you'll have spotted names like Cupani, Grandiflora, Spencer, Lathyrus odoratus, and Henry Eckford. But what do they mean, and why are they important?

In botany names often link to people, places, or events, revealing the plant's history. Henry Eckford, a Scottish horticulturist, ignited a sweet pea frenzy in the 1800s by dedicating his life to improving and crossbreeding them. He created the grandiflora type, which produce very fragrant flowers. Most modern sweet peas stem from his work. His most famous creation, 'Painted Lady', has striking red and white flowers with a sensational scent.

Silas Cole, who was a gardener at the Spencer estate, was another sweet pea enthusiast - he grew many of Henry Eckford's varieties and one summer he managed to grow a very tall, flamboyant and frilly sweet pea, which he called 'Countess Spencer'. After exhibiting it in 1901 at the Sweet Pea Society's first annual show, everyone wanted to grow what we know today as Spencers.