New Zealand seed for Chelsea

A new variety of sweetpea with mauve flush and a beautiful scent has been so successfully grown in the Gisborne area this summer that its seed will be released at the Chelsea Flower Show in Britain in May.

UK seed retailer David Matthewman said it was first found by a friend in Wales and the seed was bulked up in Gisborne this season, exploiting the Southern Hemisphere summer.

Mr Matthewman said the company grew some seed in the UK and with its counter-seasonal Gisborne production shifted about 200kg of seeds a year.

The English sweetpea breeders promoted their business at garden shows and their biggest effort was made for the Chelsea Flower Show - where the New Zealand-grown cultivar will be among about 2000 sweetpea blooms on display.

Now all the new variety needs is an appealing name - something that has so far eluded Mr Matthewman and his wife Pauline, of Yorkshire, and Makauri sweetpea seed growers Cynthia and Lorin Dougan.