Quick Facts
- Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
- Classification: Spencer (Spring-Flowering)
- Petal Pattern: Solid/Self
- Color Profile: Cream
- Fragrance: Moderately Scented
- Breeder: Mark Rowland
- Year Introduced: 2018
- Flowering Type: Early Spring
Overview
'Spring Sunshine Cream' is an elegant, early-blooming sweet pea that produces classic, solid cream-colored flowers. As a prominent member of the Spring Sunshine series, it serves as a crucial bridge between the very early winter-flowering types and the traditional summer-flowering Spencers. Because it requires fewer daylight hours to initiate its blooms, it is highly valued for producing a beautiful, early flush of flowers well before the intense heat of summer arrives.
Growth Habit
This variety is a tall, vigorous climbing vine that requires substantial vertical support. It produces robust, ruffled blooms characteristic of the Spencer class, held on strong stems that make it excellent for cutting.
Cultivation Notes
As an early spring-flowering variety, 'Spring Sunshine Cream' only requires about 11 to 12 hours of daylight to trigger its blooming cycle. This makes it a perfect candidate for autumn sowing to overwinter in mild climates (like Phoenix or the Pacific Northwest) or for early forcing under glass. To keep the vines productive and prevent them from setting seed, the blooms must be harvested regularly.
Historical Notes
This variety was bred by Owl's Acre (the renowned British sweet pea nursery run by Mark Rowland) and was officially introduced to catalogues in 2018. The Spring Sunshine series was specifically developed to provide a reliable, high-quality spring crop, expanding the options available for both greenhouse cultivation and warm-climate gardens.
In the Garden
Grown for: Early season cut flower production, greenhouse forcing, and extending the sweet pea harvest in climates where summer heat quickly ends the growing season.
Companion Planting: Pair this versatile cream sweet pea with other early-blooming varieties in the series, such as 'Spring Sunshine Light Blue' or 'Spring Sunshine Burgundy', and combine with early spring textural foliage or ranunculus for soft, elegant vase arrangements.
