Adorabel Sweet Pea Flowers laying on weathered wood boards

Freshly cut stems of Sweet Pea 'Adorabel' with lavender blooms maturing to mauve-blue and delicate dark veining.

Sweet Pea 'Adorabel'

Name: Sweet Pea 'Adorabel'
Brand: Sweet Pea Gardens LLC
Price: 6.15 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

$6.15

'Adorabel' Sweet Pea Seeds
Lathyrus odoratus

A truly captivating sweet pea, 'Adorabel' delights with flowers that transform as they mature. Opening in soft lavender before gradually deepening to rich mauve-blue, each bloom is enhanced by intricate dark veining that gives this variety exceptional depth and character.

Bred by Peter Grayson and introduced in 2013, 'Adorabel' combines the wonderfully rich fragrance of traditional sweet peas with the rounded form and garden performance of a modern Grandiflora. Its long climbing stems and ever-changing flowers make it a beautiful choice for cutting gardens, floral arrangements, and anyone who enjoys growing unusual varieties.

Details
Plant type: Hardy annual
Height: 6-8 feet
Plant spacing: 6-8 inches
Site: full sun (or partial afternoon shade in hotter zones)
Soil & Water: fertile and moist, but well-draining
Pinch: when there are 4 pairs of true leaves
Approx. 'Adorabel' Sweet Pea Seeds per packet: 10

🌱 WHY WE START 'Adorabel' SWEET PEA SEEDS IN ROOTRAINERS

Like all sweet peas, 'Adorabel' develops a deep root system quickly. Rootrainers encourage strong downward root growth and reduce transplant shock when seedlings are planted into the garden.

We start every Sweet Pea Gardens crop in professional Rootrainers and recommend them to gardeners who want stronger plants and more flowers.

See the Rootrainers We Use

From the Sweet Pea Library: More About 'Adorabel'

Quick Facts

Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
Classification: Modern Grandiflora
Petal Pattern: Solid / Shifter / Veined
Color Profile: Opens in lavender and shifts to mauve-blue (or mauve-purple), highlighted by darker veining.
Fragrance: Scented
Breeder: Grayson
Year Introduced: 2013
Flowering Type: Summer

Overview

'Adorabel' is a captivating summer-flowering sweet pea. As we discussed previously based on the outside information from Phil Johnson's website, it perfectly exemplifies the "Modern Grandiflora" class, featuring charming rounded petals. It provides a fascinating color-shifting performance, blossoming first in soft lavender shades before deepening into a rich mauve-blue as the flower ages. This transition is enhanced by intricate dark veining across the petals. By combining these traits, it boasts the intense, complex perfume and form of old-fashioned varieties alongside the enhanced characteristics desired by today's gardeners.

Growth Habit

Like standard summer-flowering types, this variety develops into a vigorous climbing vine. It necessitates a sturdy vertical support system, such as a trellis, netting, or a cordon framework, to properly sustain its upward growth and fragrant flowers.

Cultivation Notes

Being a summer-flowering variety, 'Adorabel' is a "long-day" plant that requires the extended daylight of the peak season—roughly 12 hours—to initiate blooming. It thrives best in deeply dug, nutrient-dense soil. Consistent harvesting and the immediate deadheading of spent blooms are imperative; allowing the vine to set seed pods will cause it to redirect its energy away from blossom production, quickly bringing an end to the floral display.

Historical Notes

This variety was bred by Peter Grayson and officially introduced in 2013. It subsequently featured in the 2016–2017 catalogues of Roger Parsons. For accurate record-keeping, it should be noted that this variety is completely distinct from the similarly named 'Adorable', which was a salmon cream-pink Spencer variety released by Burpee back in 1928.

In the Garden

Grown for: Dynamic color-shifting lavender to mauve blooms, striking dark petal veining, and an exceptional, vintage-style fragrance.

Companion Planting: Pair this transitioning, cool-toned sweet pea with crisp, pure whites or rich, moody purples to accentuate its intricate texture and shifting mauve hues.

Safety: Sweet peas, just like many plants we grow in our gardens, are toxic. Sweet pea seeds and any part of the plant should not be ingested.

Recommended By Sweet Pea Gardens

Rootrainers: Our Preferred Sweet Pea Seed Tray

$27.95

Why We Use Rootrainers at Sweet Pea Gardens

Sweet peas develop long roots quickly. Rootrainers encourage deeper root growth and reduce transplant shock when planting into the garden.

These are the trays we use to start our own sweet pea crop each season.