Although members of the pea family and quite fragrant, unlike their edible legume cousins, the sweet pea is poisonous. First discovered in 1699, the sweet pea was considered to be an exotic plant.

Years of developing the flower for larger blossoms and more showy colors left the sweet pea almost without the scent, until the fragrance of a garden was once again in vogue, which brought the scented flower back to its popularity in a cottage garden.