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, on the other side of me, has a veritable riot of sweet peas rambling all over a bamboo cane plant support. My plot might be lush and colourful with runner bean blooms and courgette flowers, but it does lack that splash of summery colour. Besides which, a few

to the sweet pea.The best I can find is a cowboy song that was a hit in 1966 "Sweet pea / Apple of my eye /  Don't know when and I don't know why". Nice but not exactly horticulturally relevant.*Anyway, sweet peas are flowering now. Lathyrus odoratus

Ask any seed company to name their Top 10 bestselling flowers and you'll regularly find sweet peas in first place.Sweet peas are the gardeners’ favourite for climbing colour and delicious fragrance, bringing a touch of cottage garden nostalgia

What a magnificent year for sweet peas. We've had a constant supply, with bunches of them in every corner of the house. They're lovely, until the pungent, all-pervading pong hits you, when you know you've left them in vase/glass/mug just a few too

Brighter days and lighter evenings are really cheering me up, as is the anticipation of borders packed with sunflowers and sweet peas this summer.Seeds from the free packet of sunflower 'Russian Giant' and sweet pea '20th Anniversary Mix' that came

Find out how to encourage the best sweet pea crop, by following Sarah Raven's video guide, with tips on pot selection, pinching out and which plants to choose.OctoberMore advice on growing sweet peasHow to use plant supportsMonty's advice on sowing

Learn how to pinch out and pot on sweet peas with Sarah Raven's step-by-step video guide.springMore advice on growing flowersGrowing sweet peas from seedGrowing lupinsHow to create a cut flower patchPlanting out cerinthes

Learn how to grow sweet pea plants from seed with Monty Don's step-by-step video advice.springMore on growing flowers from seedPotting on sweet peasGrowing lupinsPlanting out cerinthesGrowing dahlias from seed

Sweet peas are the classic annual climber and look just as lovely in pots as they do in a border. 'Spencer Mix' has large flowers and long stems, good for cutting, but 'Cupani' and 'Painted Lady' are particularly good as their short stems give good

. Sweet peas dislike root disturbance so grow them in cardboard tubes or coir pots. This will enable you to plant them out in their containers without damaging the roots.Sweet pea seedsSeed compostCardboard tubesJanuary - May20 minutesSow seeds