Quick Facts
- Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
- Classification: Spencer
- Petal Pattern: Bicolor
- Color Profile: Mauve and lavender
- Fragrance: [Scented]
- Breeder: Oyama
- Year Introduced: Pre-1984
- Flowering Type: Early Spring
Overview
'Oyama Bicolor' is a Spencer sweet pea that features a delicate mauve and lavender bicolor petal pattern. As an early spring-flowering variety, it is a "short-day" type that requires fewer daylight hours to initiate blooms. This makes it highly valuable for greenhouse production or for mild-winter climates that require an early harvest before the fatal summer heat arrives.
Growth Habit
This variety is a tall, climbing vine that requires substantial vertical support. It produces simplex blooms, meaning it has the classic single standard petal at the back of the flower, rather than a duplex or multiplied standard.
Cultivation Notes
Because 'Oyama Bicolor' is an early spring bloomer, it needs only about 10 to 11 hours of daylight to trigger flowering. This makes it ideal for autumn or winter sowing to produce early cut flowers. If grown under glass, it responds exceptionally well to the Japanese cordon system, where side shoots and tendrils are ruthlessly removed to encourage massive main stems.
Historical Notes
This variety was bred by Oyama and was in cultivation prior to 1984. Japanese breeders have a rich and closely guarded history of cultivating premium sweet peas for the commercial cut flower market, often raising vines up to eight meters long in greenhouses for perfect stem length.
In the Garden
Grown for: Early season cut flower production, greenhouse forcing, and providing soft pastel tones to arrangements before standard Summer Spencers begin to bloom.
Companion Planting: Pair with soft textural greenery, early spring foliage, and cream sweet peas like 'Jilly' or 'Mrs Collier' for harmonious pastel vase arrangements.
