LATHYRUS adoratus, "AZUREUS BLUE"

This tiny, delicate SWEET PEA  is another of the heirloom, old fashioned
flowers my son grew from seed for me.  It is a Chinese native: & tolerates heat better than most sweet peas.  Most sweet peas are climbers, but this jewel grows more in a bush form.  The flowers are only about 1 inch 
(2.5 cm) in diameter, & can be lost in a bed of other brightly colored flowers; but the "Azureus Blue"  makes a statement.  Blue flowers are my favorite, but not common in this area.

When our children were young, we used to walk by a house on the way to the library.  The house had a white picket fence with sweet peas climbing & blooming the length of it.  I don't remember if they had a scent, but
the abundance of flowers was dazzling.  That was my first experience with 
"plant lust" & it has stayed with me all these years.  I have always wanted to grow them.

I tried growing  sweet peas in Michigan, but it was too damp & shady.  Last year my son grew a red & white striped version that did very well & has self seeded in front a stone wall.  They are blooming up a storm now & may climb over the wall into my neighbor's yard.  They seem to like our 
California Spring, but when the merciless summer heat arrives, the
blooming season will stop.  

It has been lovely growing all these old fashioned heirloom flowers
these past months.  In the future, when I look back on this COVID-19
STAY SAFE AT HOME period, I hope I remember the surprise of finding these tiny sapphire flowers hiding among the Bachelor Buttons & Phlox.