Perennial Pea

Biological Name:

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial-Pea)

Natural Habitat:

Perennial-Pea is a type of pea plant that is native to a variety of habitats, including meadows, fields, and open woods. It is commonly found in temperate regions.

Description:

Perennial pea is a type of flowering plant that is commonly found in fields and other grassy areas. It is a member of the Fabaceae family which also includes plants such as peas and beans. Perennial pea is an annual or perennial plant that produces small purple or white flowers and clusters of seeds. The plant is often used as a cover crop to improve soil health and suppress weeds. It is also known for its ability to tolerate a wide range of growing conditions including wet or dry soils. In some areas perennial pea is considered a weed because of its ability to invade cultivated areas and cause allergies and other health problems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Are there perennial peas?
A: Perennial Sweet Pea or Everlasting Pea is an old fashioned herbaceous perennial climbing vine with beautiful bright flowers that grows up 10′ tall. This plant blooms in summer, and blooms are on long peduncles above the foliage. It climbs by tendrils and can be trellised or used to cover a fence or other structure.
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Q: Do you pinch out perennial sweet peas?
A: Pinch out the tips of young sweet pea plants when they reach about 10cm tall, to encourage bushy growth. You can buy sweet pea plug plants in spring. Plant them in fertile soil beneath a support, such as a wigwam made of bamboo canes. Most sweet peas will grow to about 2m in height.
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Q: Can peas be grown year round?
A: Plant successive crops and you can even have fresh peas year around. An indoor pea plant needs 8 to 10 hours of bright light. You can either place it in the sunniest location of the home or use grow lights.
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Q: Are winter peas perennial?
A: Austrian Winter Peas are the answer to your winter soil cover needs! All the benefits of a perennial crop, with out the difficulty of terminating it. Seed 2 weeks before your last frost date for best results.
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Q: Which peas grow in winter?
A: A cool-season annual, winter field peas (Austrian peas), can tolerate heavy frost but are killed by temperatures below -17 to -23C (0 to -10F).
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Q: Do peas keep producing after picking?
A: Pods are ready to harvest when they’re well filled. Pick regularly, otherwise the plants will stop producing flowers and pods. Mangetout and sugarsnap peas should be picked when the pods are about 7.5cm (3in) long, just as the peas are starting to develop.
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Q: Are perennial peas edible?
A: Gardenia warns that they are not edible and that acute ingestion may cause mild stomach upset. Missouri Botanical Garden and North Carolina State Extension agree that the seeds are toxic, with the university adding that only if large quantities are consumed.
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Q: Do you cut back perennial sweet peas?
A: Cut perennial Lathyrus back to ground level in autumn or, preferably, leave the cutting back until February so the dead stems provide cover for wildlife in winter. Simply pull out and compost annual sweet peas once flowering has finished at the end of summer. In hot, dry seasons this might be a bit sooner.
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Q: Which peas are not edible?
A: Ornamental sweet peas are not edible, they are toxic and should not be eaten! The common sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus is an ornamental leguminous annual climbing plant which is native to southern Italy, and is grown purely for its very fragrant and colourful flowers.
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Q: Can a pea grow inside you?
A: The doctors told him he must have eaten a pea that “went down the wrong way”, and the moist and warm conditions in the lung were just right for it to sprout and grow. Sveden said he had not felt anything growing in his chest, only that he was coughing a lot.
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Q: Can you eat ornamental peas?
A: Ornamental sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, are poisonous and should not be planted near edible peas, Pisum sativum, More information on Lathyrus.
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Q: Can you eat the pod of a shelling pea?
A: Just like the peas inside, the pea pods contain spring’s flavors (and spring’s nutrients, too). With just a few extra steps, you can turn those pea pods into a gorgeous green puree to use in sauces and pasta dishes—or even as part of a cocktail!
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Q: Can you eat raw garden peas?
A: Garden peas are also sometimes called sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the round peas inside need to removed, or shelled, before eating (the pods are discarded). The peas are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked; these are the common peas that are sold shelled and frozen.
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Q: Are perennial sweet peas invasive?
A: Annual or Perennial In many areas of North America, the perennial sweet pea (L. latifolius) is an invasive problem, clogging open fields and roadsides.
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Q: Do you deadhead perennial sweet peas?
A: It is very important to deadhead your sweet peas. Look out for seed pods developing and snip them off regularly. This prevents the plants forming seed, which would stop the plants producing flowers.
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Q: How tall do perennial sweet peas grow?
A: Perennial. Flower June to September. Grow to approximately 8 feet (2.4 metres) tall (require support). Thrive in full sun and a rich soil.
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Q: Should everlasting sweet peas be cut back?
A: The everlasting pea is vigorous and grows easily. It will flower all summer long, but to get it to do this dead heading is essential. Remove all spent flowers and seed head so that the shrub keeps producing more flowers. It is deciduous and should be cut back to ground level in the autumn.
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Q: What to do with perennial sweet pea after flowering?
A: Cut perennial Lathyrus back to ground level in autumn or, preferably, leave the cutting back until February so the dead stems provide cover for wildlife in winter. Simply pull out and compost annual sweet peas once flowering has finished at the end of summer.
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Q: What can you not grow near sweet peas?
A: Plant sweet peas near Runner beans to atract the bees for polination. Get on with Beetroot, Celery, Potatoes, Garlic and Onions, Do not plant with Tomatoes Peppers or Runner beans. – Plant sage among your cabbages this will help against cabbage moth.
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Q: Are there perennial sweet peas?
A: Perennial sweet peas will thrive in a spot with well-drained soil, so dig deeply and enrich with aged manure or compost. Young plants are easy to train up a trellis, fence or wall, but you can also let them grow as a vigorous spreading perennial ground cover to hide neglected and bare areas.
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Q: What do perennial sweet peas look like?
A: Looks. Upright or trailing plants carry romantic sprays of pea-like white, yellow-orange, pink, red, blue or purple flowers (some combining two colours) mainly in summer. The clump forming, short-growing Lathyrus vernus flowers in spring.
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Q: Will sweet pea survive winter?
A: Sweet peas are a hardy annual, which means they will tolerate cold, even a light frost below if freezing. They are tougher than they look and will take a regular frost down to around -4.
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Q: What to do with perennial sweet peas after flowering?
A: The everlasting pea is vigorous and grows easily. It will flower all summer long, but to get it to do this dead heading is essential. Remove all spent flowers and seed head so that the shrub keeps producing more flowers. It is deciduous and should be cut back to ground level in the autumn.
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Q: Are peas annual or perennial?
A: Most legumes grown in the home garden, including beans and peas, are annual plants, which means they complete a life cycle in a single year. Perennial legumes, on the other hand, are those that live for more than two years.
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.