Due to the forecast of high winds, Battleston Hill and the Pinetum are closed today, Saturday 23 November. RHS Glow is set to go ahead as planned. The weather forecast is being closely monitored, and any changes will be communicated on social media or the website. Please check back for updates.

A new dedicated bridge into RHS Wisley is now open. If travelling by car, visitors who would normally access the garden from the A3 will now use Ockham Park roundabout and follow new signage onto the bridge and over the A3 to the existing RHS Wisley entrance. Find out more

A World Of Sweet Peas: Book launch and event

Special Event
Back
1
Dec

RHS Garden Wisley, GU23 6QB

RHS Garden Wisley, GU23 6QB

Address

Wisley Lane, Woking

Venue

RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science

Booking

  • Member

    Free garden entry

  • Non-member

    Normal garden admission applies

  • No booking is required for this event

Overview

  • Event times

    10.45am – 2pm

  • Subject

    Special Event

Celebrate sweet peas at RHS Garden Wisley – fascinating talks and especially curated exclusive seed collections for sale.
 
Highlights of the day:
  • 10.45am: Opens to visitors
  • 11am: Talk with Cecilia & Phil – Why A World of Sweet Peas – how did it happen?  Find out about the string of unexpected events that led to Cecilia & Phil’s collaboration that culminated in this wonderful book
  • 11.45am: Book signing and sales
  • 12.30pm: Talk – Growing sweet peas the Phil Johnson way.  Find out about life at a sweet pea nursery, how    Phil grows sweet peas and some of his favourite and special varieties. Will include a Q&A session.
  • 1.15pm: Book signing and sales
  • 2pm: Close
 Loved for their unmistakable, heady fragrance and beautiful flowers, sweet peas are one of the most popular garden plants. So much so that every day, somewhere on earth, there will be sweet peas in bloom.
 
A World of Sweet Peas is a new and beautiful book telling the story of this wonderful flower. Written by Cecilia Wingård – the queen of sweet peas in Sweden, and Phil Johnson one of the UK’s top sweet pea breeders and experts in the field.
 
Glorious pictures and illustrations accompany chapters on the history, varieties, cultivation, development and fragrance of sweet peas and the arrangement and partner plantings for stunning bouquets. Explore the old-fashioned and Grandiflora varieties showcased in past trials at RHS Wisley, and enjoy a stroll through wonderful Swedish gardens exploring many newer varieties in close-up.
 
Illustrated and designed by renowned photographers Pernilla Bergdahl & Bjarne Staehr, and designer Sophia Scheutz, A World of Sweet Peas has a charming Scandinavian aesthetic, but worldwide appeal for all sweet pea enthusiasts.
 
Cecilia and Phil are thrilled to be launching A World of Sweet Peas at RHS Garden Wisley on Sunday 1 December, and as part of this have created two new seed collections as part of the event, as well as one exciting and popular new variety.
 
World of Sweet Peas mixture:
An exclusive chance to try some of the exciting new breeding material that Phil Johnson is using. A wide range of colours and types. What amazing new variety will you discover?
 
Authors’ Choice:
A blend of some of the most popular cultivars in Britain and Sweden. This exclusively curated mixture will feature Piggy Sue, Castlewellan, Juliet, Shell Pink and Ruby’s Gown amongst many others.
 
King’s Ransom:
An outstanding cultivar raised by veteran breeder Andrew Beane from Leeds. Very unusual colour that some would describe as burnt orange. This is sure to be one of the most sought after Sweet Peas in 2025, popular and fashionable colour. Long stems make it suitable for cutting, with a pleasant scent that we describe as billowy and aromatic, somewhat like Earl Grey tea.

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.