Sweet Pea School: Growing & Arranging the Garden’s Most Romantic Blooms

by Marryn Mathis, Christine Chitnis (photographer)

From experienced flower farmer and reigning "Sweet Pea Queen" Marryn Mathis comes this gorgeous, instructive guide to growing and harvesting your own sweet peas.

With their delicate petals, whimsical vines, and intoxicating scent, sweet peas are some of the most nostalgic and beloved blooms—and they’re easy to grow. Known for the vibrant kaleidoscope of varieties she cultivates on her Washington farm, Marryn Mathis shares her deep knowledge and passion for sweet peas, taking you on an informative journey through her fields and teaching you how to plant, grow, harvest, and arrange a bounty of spectacular flowers.

Inspired by Mathis's popular "Sweet Pea School" workshops, this gardening book is a master class in sweet peas, sharing:
•The history of this timeless flower
•Best practices for planting and growing
•An overview of popular varieties
•Step-by-step instructions for creating magnificent floral arrangements
•Plus, Mathis’s inspiring personal story of becoming a flower farmer and building The Farmhouse Flower Farm

Overflowing with stunning photos of colorful varietals, romantic bouquets, and gardens in full bloom, this modern guide to sweet peas is a must-have resource for gardeners, farmers, and florists of all levels, as well as designers and creatives eager for inspiration.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on a working farm, so gardening is second nature to me. Over the years, I’ve devoured countless manuals and guides in my quest to keep my plants as happy as possible. My mother gifted me my first bouquet of sweet peas, and they’ve been a favorite of mine to grow ever since.

This book is packed with vibrant photos showcasing every imaginable sweet pea variety, along with incredibly useful chapters on planting, seed harvesting, and choosing the best trellis to support these towering beauties when they reach 8-10 feet high. Thanks to this book, I’ve learned that I no longer need to soak my seeds overnight, and I finally know how to pinch and root those babies quickly to grow even more plants! Now, to find more garden space...

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful compendium on sweet peas. 4.5.

[Ashleyanstaett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book answered all of my sweet pea growing questions and helped me remedy a lot of the mistakes I was making that lead to failed sweet pea plants. (Do not start your sweet peas on a heated mat!) Marryn is so generous in sharing this information. She provides extremely in-depth guidance for starting, growing, harvesting, and arranging sweet peas in a variety of conditions/situations.

She also gives a lovely history and overview on the different varieties of sweet peas available, as well as a encyclopedia of the different varieties that includes growing requirements, color, and scent level for each type. And on top of all of this extremely helpful information, the book is stunningly beautiful and organized in a coherent way that makes it completely functional as a reference book. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in growing sweet peas!

[Brynn Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweet pea book of my dreams 😩 everybody knows that Marryn is the Sweet Pea Queen and I’ve been anticipating this book like my dog waiting for a treat

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After discovering Brenna Estrada’s stunning book ‘Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas’ and Naomi Slade’a incredible ‘Ranunculus: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden’, I knew I had to see if there was a similar volume for sweet peas, one of the plants I find most enchanting. And thank you Marryn Mathis for filling this gap so perfectly for me!

This book was just as stunning as the others and did a phenomenal job describing the ins and outs of sweet pea cultivation. I have one that’s taken off in the garden out of the 9 I planted this year (curse you deer for pulling them out of the ground, and yikes to myself for overwatering some…). Anyways, the survivor is a stunning ‘Royal Family Mid Blue’ and I have been in awe of its beautiful flowers and their delicious scent.

The photography in this book is out of this world stunning, and I was particularly taken with the full page prints showing the sweet peas through the color spectrum from white to dark pink or light to darker blue etc. I gasped when I first opened to these pages and insisted on showing everyone around me. Few things have brought me more instant joy lately, I dream of walking through her fields in full bloom! Heavenly!

I really enjoyed that Marryn chose to focus on only a few exquisite favorites from each color group, and have been desperately searching for them despite being a novice. I already have 9 varieties I want to grow next year. The book was too convincing!

Well written, clear directions, enchanting pictures. Fingers crossed it all works out in the garden! Definitely check out this book!

[Susan Faloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just looking at the gorgeous photos of sweet pea vines and flowers can almost bring back the spicy aroma of my grandmother's flower bed. We always loved to watch the progress of the tendrils that would wrap around the string she had set up on an old metal frame. When the colorful blossoms appeared, we knew it was almost time for my sister's birthday. A bouquet of pink, white and lavender blooms would show up on the table or her cake every July 26th for years.
I received a PDF advanced copy of Marryn Mathin's Sweet Pea School from the author and publisher through NetGalley. This is my unsolicited opinion about this book. It is excellent! This is a treasure trove of information about the amazing sweet pea flower, from history to types, ex: Spencer, grandiflora, old-fashioned and on to lessons in growing your own wall or container of the wonderfully scented blooms. The author knows what she has written about having grown 20,000 sweet pea plants each season. She grows sweet peas from seed that she harvests from the previous year. Step by step her book takes you through the entire process. There is practical advice for choosing a variety that is conducive to your zone along with good ways to start seed indoors or direct seeding.
The photographs alone are stunning. Her garden would be a dream for me! Did you know that sweet peas started as wildflowers? That presoaking seeds could cause disease? (I don't know how Gram pulled that off.)
I love this book! I'd give it a ten if I could.

[Emmy P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Peas! This was a lovely way to learn about such a beautiful flower. The photos were to die for and I loved coming along on the journey from seed to arrangement. This book was ful of color and would make a great addition to any avid gardeners collection.

[Krista ⟡ Ever Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

♡ Thank you for the free book, Chronicle Books.

I enjoy gardening and love sweet peas, so this caught my eye. It is full of information, tips, and stunning photography. It also makes a great coffee table book!

[Felicity Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer on growing sweet peas. Gorgeous photography. I am inspired to grow all kinds of sweet peas next year!

Gave it 4 of 5 because I wanted a few parts to go into more depth, and the lack of index makes referencing more difficult.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Pea School details the growth and cultivation of sweet peas. It explains the processes and provides additional tips and instructions. It does a great job breaking down cultivation processes and provides lovely photography to accompany the instructions.

[Micayla Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much great information! It was easy to read and packed with great tips to set you up with the sweet pea garden of your dreams! Also the pictures?! Gorgeous! Starting my seeds tomorrow 😍

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. All the info needed to successfully grow sweet peas.

[Brittany Memmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

very educational