Plant record

Sweet Pea

Lathyrus odoratus

Sweet peas are all scent and timing. Give them cool roots, a trellis, and no argument with July.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusLathyrusFabaceae
Species anchorLathyrus odoratusThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score94/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Start indoors 5 to 8 weeks before last frost if roots can stay undisturbed.

Direct sow early into cool soil beside support.

Transplant cool and early before vines tangle.

Space-saving method: grow with trellis support.

Plant intelligence

Use a north-edge trellis or a dedicated vertical strip; roots like cool soil.

cut flowervertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: cool-season climbing annual flower

Height: 48-96 inches

Spread: 6-12 inches

Germination: 10-21 days

Sow depth: 0.75 inches

Bloom: spring, early summer

Attracts: bees

Record score

94/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Lathyrus odoratus in Fabaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness1004 per square with trellis support.
Timing and care depth1003 planting windows, 40F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90moderate pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificLathyrus odoratusFamilyFabaceaeLookup namesSweet Pea, Lathyrus odoratus, annual sweet pea, fragrant sweet pea

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit4 per square
100Use a north-edge trellis or a dedicated vertical strip; roots like cool soil. Support: trellis.
Season behaviorsemi-hardy
100Indoor start. Direct sow. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadsteady water
74Seeds are toxic if eaten. Heat shuts down bloom. Soil minimum 40F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, vertical
90moderate pollinator value; white, pink, lavender, purple.
Variety depth2 options
88Spencer types are showier; old-fashioned types are often stronger for scent.

Species and variety notes

Spencer types are showier; old-fashioned types are often stronger for scent.

Spencer Mixmix
70small-bed fit

A classic cutting mix where height is planned.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

large blooms, cut flower, trellis85-100 days72-96 inches tall
Cupanicultivar
56small-bed fit

Worth growing when fragrance matters more than huge flowers.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

heirloom, strong scent, smaller flowers75-95 days60-84 inches tall

Companions

lettuce, peas, snapdragon, stock

Cautions

Seeds are toxic if eaten.

Heat shuts down bloom.

External enrichment

Cached name: Lathyrus odoratus. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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