Sweet Pea 'Butterfly'

Quick Facts

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  Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
  
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  Classification: Grandiflora
  
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  Color Profile: White ground marbled and flushed with mauve-lavender
  
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  Flower Form: Hooded
  
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  Raiser: Suttons
  
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  Year Introduced: 1878
  
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  Flowering Type: Summer-flowering
  
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  Growth Habit: Tall climbing annual
  

Overview

‘Butterfly’ is a beautiful old sweet pea introduced by Suttons in 1878.

Its flowers have a white ground softly marbled and flushed with mauve and lavender, giving each bloom a delicate, almost hand-painted appearance. The hooded flower form is typical of these older Grandiflora varieties and adds to its unmistakably Victorian character.

Like many heritage sweet peas, ‘Butterfly’ is grown as much for its fragrance as for its coloring. It has the wonderfully old-fashioned look and scent that make historic varieties so appealing.

Growth Habit

‘Butterfly’ is a vigorous climbing sweet pea and should be given a sturdy trellis, netting or other support as it grows.

Plants can reach around 6 to 8 feet under good growing conditions. Regular picking will encourage continued flower production and help prevent the plants from putting their energy into developing seed pods.

Growing ‘Butterfly’

Grow in a sunny position in rich, well-drained soil and provide support from an early stage.

Sweet peas appreciate consistent moisture during active growth, particularly as the weather warms. Water deeply at the base of the plants rather than frequently wetting the foliage.

For the longest flowering season, pick flowers regularly and remove spent blooms before seed pods begin to develop.

Historical Notes

Introduced by Suttons in 1878, ‘Butterfly’ dates from the great Victorian era of sweet pea growing.

Its softly marbled coloring and hooded blooms are very different from the large, heavily ruffled Spencer sweet peas that became popular in the following century, making it a lovely example of the earlier Grandiflora style.

In the Garden

‘Butterfly’ is a wonderful choice for gardeners who enjoy historic sweet peas, unusual coloring and old-fashioned fragrance.

Its mauve-marble flowers are particularly pretty mixed with soft pinks, creams, whites and deeper purples, and the stems are lovely gathered informally for small scented arrangements.