Roger Parsons is a professional horticulturist who has been growing Sweet Peas as a hobby since 1985 and other Lathyrus species since 1991. From 1993, he has been custodian of a National Collection ® of Lathyrus species and from 1998 custodian of a seedbank of Sweet Pea varieties. In May 2005 the National Collection ® was extended to include L.odoratus cultivars (Sweet Peas). Roger Parsons Sweet Peas was established in 2005 to offer surplus seeds from these collections. Roger has won coveted Gold Awards for his Sweet Peas at National Sweet Pea Society exhibitions in 2008 & 2009.

Roger is well known among sweet pea growers as a Trustee and Membership Secretary of the National Sweet Pea Society. He is a former Chairman of the NSPS/Royal Horticultural Society Joint Trials Committee. Roger’s particular interests include the history and development of the sweet pea, other Lathyrus species and the raising of new varieties. He is available outside the growing season to give illustrated talks to all levels of interest.

Our seed is grown on the deep rich loams of the Sussex coast in small quantities so that emphasis can be placed on the selection of seed from the finest plants in order to maintain the quality of a variety. As Sweet Peas are annuals, great care must be taken to ensure that the quality of a seed stock does not deteriorate and this is not always possible when grown on a large scale. Sadly, we cannot put back into historical varieties those qualities which have been lost but we do seek to ensure that existing qualities are retained.