They have beautiful bright pink Sweet Pea flowers, but unfortunately, no discernible fragrance. They attract bees and butterflies. My vines get a bit bushy and grow to about 10 to 12 feet. They haven't reached the end of the fence where my honeysuckle is yet, so I don't know if they would overpower.
{{gwi:345362}}From 2010 Garden part 2

I have them planted on either side of a butterfly bush. This is the view from the other side of the fence. One on the left side of the photo and a better view of the one on the right side of the picture, both hanging over the fence.
{{gwi:345363}}From 2010 Garden part 2

Is the lathyrus odoratus a perennial?

Unfortunately it isn't, but that is the one that has a wonderful smell!!

Carmen, the one native to here that's really, really perennial (think thug) is lathyrus japonicus. Pretty, but harder than heck to remove once established, it's one of those plants where you dig it out, then again, and again.

My neighbor mistakenly bought perennial l. latifolius seeds when looking for a substantial looking pink and we struggled with that one a couple of years too , not impossible to remove but annoying with those persistent little tendrils popping up when you'd thought long gone.

I don't know of any of the truly perennial types with scent.

sjc - lathyrus odoratus annual - and scented!

Thanks, morz8 and carolyn. I WSed lathyrus latifolius, for the scent - DUH-will I never learn to read right? I'm planning on planting them in large pots, with an upside down tomato cage for vine support. Sounds like a good idea if they are the thug you all say they are!
suecirish-great pics!

LOL, I have some annual sweet pea seeds if you would like them, also some perennial. I am not sure of the botanical of the annual ones all I know is that they are a commercial pack. I believe I got them at the dollar store royal mix, I believe. If you are interested let me know and I can check them out a little closer.

Carolyn - am emailing you!

the perennial ones grow all along the roadside here, in hot pink and light pink. i tried to snatch some and got a few root chunks, which were sprouting in their pots before the snow came. i am getting seeds for yellow ones any day now from a sasbe offer-- so excited! good luck with them! i have never had luck with sweet peas so i'm excited to try them. littleonefb told me to surface sow the annual seeds, which i will try a little later in the season

Perennial ones benefit from about 2 weeks cold. Try wsing them rose and see if you have better luck with them!!

the yellow ones will definitely be going out as soon as i get them :) i was thinking about sowing the annual ones in late feb, but i have enough seeds that i might do some not just to see what happens

Does anyone know when I should cut my vines back. It is now fall and we are heading In to a cold Canadian winter. Do I cut my perennial vines back before winter or in the spring? I want best growth for next season.
Thank you.

I have two groups of perennial sweet pea and I've never cut it back - it just dies down to the ground in winter and reemerges in the spring.

I grew perennial sweet peas by mistake the first year I wintersowed. I didn't know that there was a perennial version, and I planted them up in a pot but no flowers all year. After I contacted the one who sent me the seed she said she didn't know, but 'they just came up every year'. But I forgot that I had planted a few seedlings in front of a peony and I have been trying to get rid of that each year since. It has a huge taproot, which I cut back savagely each fall and it comes back. But the flowers, although with no fragrance, are beautiful. Mine are pale pink and white, and I control it by cutting it back during the year. It produces copious seeds, but does not seem to re-seed.