Bringing back Sweet Peas Again

I remember sweet peas growing in PEI when we lived there, and on the back deck where I grew up. Neighbours grew them. Families grew them. They were everywhere once — fragrant, early, and dependable — and then, somewhere along the way, they quietly disappeared. I honestly haven’t seen them grown locally in close to twenty years.

Sweet peas are cool-season flowers. They like cold soil, early planting, and spring weather most flowers hate. They need an eight-foot trellis, steady picking, and a bit of respect. In return, they give scent — real scent — and blooms that feel straight out of another time.

They don’t last all summer, and that’s part of the point. Sweet peas show up early, do their job beautifully, and step aside when the heat arrives.

This year is about bringing back plants that were grown for joy, fragrance, and patience — the way they always were