Sweet Pea 'Fire & Ice'

At a Glance

Quick Facts

• Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
• Classification: Modern Grandiflora
• Petal Pattern: Bicolor / Picotee (Tri-color)
• Color Profile: Crimson flare with a blue picotee edge over a pale base (yielding a pink, white, and purple display)
• Fragrance: Strong / Highly Scented
• Breeder: Mark Rowland (Owl's Acre)
• Year Introduced: 2005
• Flowering Type: Summer-Flowering

Overview

'Fire and Ice' is a showy, prolific, and highly celebrated addition to the Modern Grandiflora class. This exquisite variety produces dainty, tri-coloured blooms that feature a striking crimson flare sharply contrasted by a delicate blue picotee edge. Beyond its vivid coloration, it is prized for its exceptionally complex perfume; the scent is layered and spicy, boasting warm hints of smooth oat and candied almond lifted by a bright, citrusy top note of yuzu. Because of its outstanding fragrance, robust garden performance, and long stems, it was honored with the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 2023.

Growth Habit

Exhibiting the vigorous growth habit typical of summer-flowering sweet peas, 'Fire and Ice' is a robust, tall-climbing vine. It requires a sturdy vertical support system, such as a tall trellis, netting, or bamboo teepees, to successfully ascend toward the sun throughout the growing season.

Cultivation Notes

To coax the most spectacular blooms from this vine, plant it in a sunny location with deeply enriched, well-draining soil. Because of its tall climbing habit, the stems should be tied in regularly to ensure the plant remains secure against the wind. Consistent harvesting and the diligent removal of faded blossoms are absolutely essential to prevent the plant from setting seed, ensuring a continuous, uninterrupted flush of spicy-scented flowers all summer long.

Historical Notes

'Fire and Ice' was bred by Mark Rowland of Owl's Acre Sweet Peas and officially introduced to commerce in 2005. It is an exceptional representative of the "Modern Grandiflora" group—a relatively new classification of sweet peas intentionally bred to possess the intense, complex fragrance and classic flower form of the antique Victorian varieties, but with the longer, stronger stems desired by modern florists.

In the Garden

Grown For: Intensely fragrant cut flower arrangements, exhibition use, and adding a wildly unique, multi-colored novelty to summer borders.

Companion Planting

To make its unique tri-color markings truly pop, pair it with crisp, pure whites like 'Wild Swan'. Alternatively, planting it alongside deep, cool blues will wonderfully highlight the delicate blue picotee edge of its petals.