Lathyrus, Sweet Pea 'Matucana'

Of the three sweet peas I've tried so far this was my favorite. The fragrance is intense and heavenly. The bicolored blooms are beautiful...Read More. And it bloomed earlier and longer than the Spencer types (newer hybrids) I grew. Seems to have better heat tolerance. I had so many flowers I actually got sick of cutting them :-)

Yes, the flowers are a bit smaller than the newer hybrids. But it's not really a huge difference - maybe 1/8".

Bloomed for me mid-June to mid-September from a late April seeding. (You must deadhead fastidiously to keep blooms coming).

Sweet peas have been difficult to grow successfully in my garden. However, last year I tried 'Matucana' for the first time (in container...Read Mores), and it bloomed beautifully for me --from spring through fall. It's definitely a "keeper." I've planted it again this year from seed; though it hasn't yet bloomed, it is looking healthy and promising.

According to the SSE catalog, this sweetpea has been "incorrectly cited as the original sweetpea" but it is obviously more modern given ...Read Moreits four relatively large flowers on each stem.
The origins are unclear but it somehow naturalized in Peru and/or Ecuador and then sometime later was re-introduced into Europe. Plant is 5-6' tall; bloom is bi-color with maroon-purple standard and purple-blue wings.

'Matucana' is one of the easiest and most reliable sweet peas. It blooms prolifically for a long time, and it even self-sows in my garde...Read Moren. The fragrance is outstanding.