Sweet Pea 'Romeo'

Quick Facts

• Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
• Classification: Grandiflora
• Petal Pattern: Picotee
• Color Profile: White ground with a delicate blue/mauve edge
• Fragrance: Highly Scented
• Breeder: Unwins
• Year Introduced: 2000
• Flowering Type: Summer

Overview

'Romeo' is an elegant and romantic summer-flowering sweet pea. While the name has been used historically for different varieties, the modern incarnation is a beautiful Grandiflora type. It displays a delicate, fine picotee edge of mauve or blue framing a crisp white ground. Because it belongs to the Grandiflora group, it is prized for possessing the strong, intense fragrance characteristic of older antique types, making it a stellar choice for scent gardens.

Growth Habit

Like standard sweet peas, the modern 'Romeo' grows as a tall, vigorous climbing vine. It requires sturdy vertical support, such as a trellis or cordon system, to climb and produce its fragrant blooms successfully.

Cultivation Notes

As a standard summer-flowering variety, 'Romeo' requires long daylight hours—typically 12 hours or more—to initiate its blooming cycle. To maximize flower production and stem length, it thrives in rich, well-prepared soil. Growers must harvest the blooms and deadhead the spent flowers consistently to prevent the plant from setting seed and halting its floral output.

Historical Notes

The archives reveal that the name 'Romeo' has actually been used for three distinct sweet pea introductions over the years. The original 'Romeo' was a rich orange-scarlet Spencer variety introduced by the seed firm Carters in 1946. In 1962, Simons released a rose-picotee Spencer under the exact same name. The current and most widely recognized 'Romeo', however, was bred by Unwins and officially introduced in 2000 as a mauve-blue picotee Grandiflora.

In the Garden

Grown for: Highly scented, delicate picotee cut flowers, bringing a romantic pastel touch to the garden trellis, and adding intense fragrance to floral arrangements.

Companion Planting: Pair this subtle blue/mauve picotee with solid, deep-toned blues and purples like 'Lord Nelson' or 'Just Jenny' to highlight its delicate colored edge, or blend it with other highly scented Grandifloras for a perfume-focused display.