Cathy Sweet Pea Seedling Plants

Sweet Pea Cathy

Taking the best performance and fragrance of the Victorian Grandiflora varieties and making it bigger and better, Cathy has the Spencer characteristics of strong long-stalked racemes that might bear up to four frilly flowers, each that can grow up to 4-5 cm wide. The colour is a.rich clotted cream and the flowers are very fragrant in that piercing way that sweet peas take one back to sunny afternoons in the countryside. The foliage is grey-green and petite. Cathy will reliably reach up to 2m high if you continue to tie in the stalks as she grows. Peruse the rest of our list of sweet peas.

Our Sweet Peas are delivered in purpose-designed, recycled cardboard packaging, and are ready to be planted out when you get them.
We generally send them out between March and May, but we will email you with the likely delivery timescale once you have placed your order.

Be creative

Cathy's bridal colouring and long stems make her a dead cert if you want to grow sweet peas for a wedding or anniversary.....or just to appeal to the Romantic in you. While being pale in colour she does not look wishy-washy when combined with more showy, bright colours nor does she overwhelm a bunch of other pastel sweet peas. As importantly, sweet peas are often overlooked when it comes to herbaceous borders, but it is worth being creative - an iron support swathed with Cathy sweet peas mid-border looks spectacular because with the Grandiflora heritage she produces flowers right down to the bottom of her stems. In the main, people grow sweet peas for cutting which is best done first thing in the morning and by cutting the stalks at a slight slant. Leave them to soak in a bucket for a few hours before arranging them. Cathy looks wonderful with creamy or pale pink roses and a few sprigs of rosemary for greenery.

Features of Sweet Pea Cathy

• Colour: rich cream
• Stem: long, straight but not thick
• Height: 2m
• Type: Modern Semi-Grandiflora
• Scent: old-fashioned, strong
• Flowering: May to August
• Planting Months: March-June
• Foliage: grey-green, discreet

A Yorkshire Lass

Cathy was grown by Unwins in 2003 and named after Emily Bronte's heroine, Cathy, of Wuthering Heights fame - although to be fair most people will probably be more familiar with Cathy from Kate Bush's unforgettable song.

Sweet Peas do best in well worked, moisture retentive soil. Adding organic matter really makes a difference and is best done the autumn before. But on the day is very much better than not at all. Your plants will do best in open ground, but you can get good results planting Sweet Peas in window boxes and pots of sufficient size - allow at least 3 litres per plant and remember that these are quite deep-rooted plants. In containers, the ideal planting mix is 50% compost, 40% topsoil and 10% well-rotted manure. Ordinary potting compost is OK, but you will get fewer flowers.

A range of supports can be used from twiggy branches to willow wigwams to posts with netting stretched between. Whatever you use, do the construction work before planting. Think about the position - Sweet Peas can cope with a little shade but flower better in full sun.

Space plants about 30 cm apart and about 5 cm from their supports. The hole should be deep enough to plant the full length of the rootball and allow enough so the soil finishes level with the lowest pair of leaves. Check to make sure they are climbing well every week or so, as they grow quickly. Tie into their supports if not.

Sweet Peas biggest need is for water -  they are incredibly thirsty plants. So water well after planting and make sure they never completely dry out. They are greedy too so you will lengthen their flowering period if you give them a high potash and phosphate fertiliser every 7-10 days once buds begin to form. Home-made comfrey liquid is perfect or Tomorite will do - especially if you are on a sandy soil.

Cut the flowers as they develop pick them, otherwise they run to seed and stop flowering.