Sweet Pea 'King's Ransom'

Quick Facts

• Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
• Classification: Spencer
• Petal Pattern: Gradient / Bicolor
• Color Profile: Soft pink blending into pale maroon (historically classed as rosy mauve)
• Fragrance: Scented
• Breeder: E.W. King & Co. / Andrew Beane
• Year Introduced: 1960 (Modern introduction 2021)
• Flowering Type: Summer

Overview

'King's Ransom' is a magnificent Spencer sweet pea celebrated for its unique and shifting color palette. The large, heavily ruffled blooms display a beautiful gradient that transitions from a delicate soft pink into a pale maroon. Highly prized for its generous flower production, this cultivar reliably yields exceptionally long, sturdy stems, making it a premium choice for both garden displays and floral arrangements.

Growth Habit

As a traditional Spencer type, this is a highly vigorous, tall-growing climbing vine. It will rapidly ascend upward as the weather warms, requiring a tall, sturdy trellis, netting, or obelisk so its tendrils can properly grip and support the heavy flushes of large flowers.

Cultivation Notes

Because it is a summer-flowering variety, 'King's Ransom' requires the longer days of late spring and summer (typically 12 to 15 hours of daylight) to trigger its blooming cycle. To maximize the stem length and flower size, pinch out the central growing tip when the seedlings are young to encourage robust side shoots. Plant in deeply prepared, rich soil, and once the flowering begins, harvest the blooms continuously. Allowing seed pods to form will quickly signal the plant to stop producing its prolific floral display.

Historical Notes

There is a rich history tied to this name. 'Kings Ransom' was originally bred by E.W. King & Co. and recorded in the 1958 Annual before being officially introduced in 1960 as a rosy-mauve summer Spencer. Decades later, in 2021, the renowned breeder Andrew Beane (working with E.W. King) introduced the highly acclaimed modern version of 'King's Ransom', which is now celebrated by growers for its distinct pink-to-maroon colouration and phenomenal cut-flower qualities.

In the Garden

Grown for: Exceptional, high-volume cut flower production, premium long stems, and adding striking, shifting colors to summer bouquets.

Companion Planting

The subtle pink and maroon gradient of these blooms makes them incredibly versatile. Plant them alongside dark, moody sweet peas (such as 'Midnight' or 'Black Knight') to draw out their maroon undertones, or pair them with textural silver foliage and pure cream blooms (like 'Mrs. Collier' or 'Jilly') to highlight their delicate pink blush.