6 Best Sweet Pea Seeds For Small Garden Trellises Your Grandma Loved
Discover 6 heirloom sweet pea varieties perfect for small trellises. These compact, fragrant climbers offer the classic charm your grandmother cherished.
There’s a specific scent that can transport you straight to your grandmother’s garden gate—the intoxicating, sweet perfume of old-fashioned sweet peas. Modern varieties might boast bigger blooms or longer stems, but they often sacrifice the very soul of the plant: its fragrance. For a small garden, where every plant has to earn its keep, choosing the right heirloom sweet pea means filling your space with unparalleled scent and history.
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Choosing Heirloom Sweet Peas for Small Gardens
Heirloom sweet peas, often called Grandiflora types, are a different beast than the modern Spencer varieties you see in catalogs. The trade-off is simple: you get smaller flowers and shorter stems in exchange for a powerful, complex fragrance that modern hybrids have often lost. For a small garden, this is a fantastic deal.
These older varieties are also naturally suited for smaller structures. While some modern sweet peas are bred to climb ten feet or more, many heirlooms top out at a more manageable six to eight feet. This makes them perfect for a simple fan trellis against a wall, a small obelisk in a container, or a short section of fence you want to beautify.
You aren’t growing these for a flower show competition; you’re growing them for the experience. The goal is to have a cloud of perfume wafting through your back door on a summer evening. Choosing an heirloom means you’re planting for your nose first and your eyes second.
‘Cupani’: The Original Sweet Pea’s Intense Scent
If you want to grow a piece of history, ‘Cupani’ is it. This is the variety from which all others descend, first sent from Sicily to England in 1699. Its flowers are small and delicate, with a deep maroon upper petal (the ‘standard’) and violet lower petals (the ‘wings’).
Don’t let its modest size fool you. The fragrance of ‘Cupani’ is legendary—a potent, spicy-sweet scent that carries beautifully on the air. A small patch climbing a simple tripod of bamboo canes is enough to perfume an entire patio. It’s the definition of a high-impact plant for a low-space garden.
Because it’s so close to the wild form, ‘Cupani’ is a vigorous and resilient grower. It doesn’t need coddling. Just give it something to climb, and it will reward you with a season-long supply of intensely fragrant, though short-stemmed, flowers.
‘Matucana’: A Richly Perfumed Bicolored Heirloom
‘Matucana’ is often confused with ‘Cupani’, and for good reason. It boasts the same stunning bicolored pattern of deep magenta-maroon and rich violet-blue. Many gardeners argue its fragrance is even more intense, a truly knockout perfume that stops you in your tracks.
This variety is another fantastic choice for a compact vertical space. Its vibrant colors make a bold statement without the plant itself becoming a sprawling monster. Think of it as the perfect accent for a doorway arch or a narrow trellis between windows, where its scent can be appreciated up close.
Like ‘Cupani’, ‘Matucana’ is a workhorse. It blooms profusely and reliably, asking for little more than sun, water, and something to grab onto. For anyone who feels their small garden lacks a "wow" factor, a wall of ‘Matucana’ provides both visual drama and an unforgettable olfactory experience.
‘Painted Lady’: An 18th Century Bicolor Favorite
Dating back to the 1730s, ‘Painted Lady’ offers a softer, more romantic look. Its bicolored petals are a delicate blend of rose-pink and creamy white. It’s the quintessential cottage garden sweet pea, evoking a timeless, gentle charm.
The fragrance is classic sweet pea but perhaps a bit sweeter and less spicy than ‘Cupani’. It’s still wonderfully strong and perfect for cutting small bouquets to bring indoors. A few stems in a simple bud vase on a nightstand is one of summer’s great pleasures.
‘Painted Lady’ is a reliable climber that provides a steady stream of blooms. It pairs beautifully with other old-fashioned flowers like lavender and climbing roses. On a white picket fence or a rustic wooden trellis, its classic beauty truly shines.
‘Black Knight’: For Dramatic, Deep Maroon Blooms
For those who appreciate a bit of drama, ‘Black Knight’ is a must-grow. Introduced in 1898, it features some of the darkest flowers you can find in an heirloom sweet pea. The petals are a deep, velvety maroon that can look almost black in the shade.
This variety adds incredible depth and contrast to a planting. Paired with a pure white like ‘Dorothy Eckford’ or the soft pink of ‘Painted Lady’, ‘Black Knight’ creates a sophisticated and eye-catching display. The contrast makes both colors pop, a useful trick in a small garden where every combination counts.
Despite its dramatic looks, it’s not an overly aggressive vine, making it well-behaved on a smaller trellis. And yes, it has that glorious Grandiflora scent. It’s a perfect example of how choosing a unique color doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice fragrance.
‘America’: The Classic Red and White Striped Bloom
If you want a flower that makes people stop and look closer, plant ‘America’. This heirloom from 1896 is a showstopper with its brilliant crimson-red stripes and flecks over a white background. It’s unapologetically cheerful and patriotic.
‘America’ is also known for being more heat tolerant than many other old varieties. This is a critical consideration for gardeners in warmer climates where sweet pea season can be frustratingly short. Getting an extra few weeks of these unique blooms is a significant advantage.
Its firecracker appearance and reliable performance make it a garden favorite. It climbs to a moderate height, perfect for covering a mailbox post or a pillar on the porch. For a small space, a plant with this much personality provides a lot of visual interest.
‘Dorothy Eckford’: Pure White and Highly Fragrant
Every garden needs a classic white, and ‘Dorothy Eckford’ is one of the best. Named for the daughter of the famous sweet pea breeder Henry Eckford, this variety produces large, ruffled, pure white flowers in abundance. It was a sensation when it was introduced in the early 1900s.
This is your go-to for simple elegance. A trellis covered in these pristine white blooms is stunning, especially in the evening or in a "moon garden" design. The fragrance is clean, strong, and exactly what you imagine when you think of sweet peas.
It’s a member of the Grandiflora class, known for vigor and a profusion of flowers. While the stems are longer than ‘Cupani’, they are still best suited for informal, hand-picked bouquets. This is the perfect sweet pea for someone who wants that classic look and powerful scent without any fuss.
Trellis Training Tips for Abundant Sweet Pea Blooms
Your trellis doesn’t have to be fancy. A simple structure of bamboo canes tied into a teepee, a grid of twine stretched between two posts, or a section of wire mesh will all work perfectly. The key is to give the tendrils something thin to grab onto.
Get them started right. When the seedlings are about four to six inches tall, gently guide the main stems toward the trellis and loosely tie them with soft twine. Once they latch on, they’ll mostly handle the rest, but you may need to tuck in a stray vine here and there throughout the season.
The single most important rule for a long blooming season is to cut the flowers constantly. Don’t wait for them to fade on the vine. The more you cut for bouquets, the more the plant will produce. If it starts setting seed pods, its life cycle is ending, and flower production will grind to a halt.
Keep the air moving. Even on a small trellis, try to prevent the vines from becoming a single, dense mat. Gently spread them out as you tie them in to ensure good air circulation, which helps prevent powdery mildew, a common sweet pea ailment in humid weather.
Choosing one of these heirloom varieties is about more than just growing flowers; it’s about cultivating an experience. The powerful fragrance from just a few square feet of garden space is a reward that far outweighs the effort. So this year, plant for scent, connect with a bit of history, and enjoy the simple, profound pleasure of a garden that smells as beautiful as it looks.
