A FORMER grocery store owner who fell in love with the scent of sweet peas as a teenager is set to launch the first variety to be named in the Welsh language.

John Rowlands, 75, only has to step outside to smell the natural perfume of the flowering plant because he grows 12 varieties on his family farm in Llandyrnog.

His earliest encounter with the sweet pea was in his dad’s garden aged 15-years-old, but he didn’t take up what he now calls “an obsession” until his twenties, once his boyish disinterest in flowers had waned. He married his wife Olwen and opened Rowlands’ fruit and vegetable shop in Denbigh, while in his spare time growing more than 30 varieties. He now sits as chair of the Welsh National Sweet Pea Society.

The sweet pea is a member of the legume family but it is not edible – it is a climbing plant in shades of purples, pinks and white that can grow up to two metres tall by twining around nearby structures. It originated in Sicily, Italy in the late 17th century under the cultivation of the monk Franciscus Capani, who then sent a package of seeds to a prominent seedsman in London.

However Mr Rowlands, from Bala, is about to make his own mark in the history books at the 100th Royal Welsh Show (RSW) on July 22 when he reveals his latest sweet pea. He could not give as much as a hint of the Welsh title, only that he was inspired by an Anglesey tomato cultivator who named his fruit Y Ddraig Goch.

“It is a very exciting time for the society,” he said. “There are thousands of varieties but none have a Welsh name.

“This variety has a lovely scent and its petals are well placed on the stem. It comes from Ireland and benefits from the mild weather in Wales, though there has been too much sun, wind and rain in recent weeks. But they are prolific again now.”

Mr Rowlands has exhibited sweet peas for nine years and won the Welsh Championship and the Best Vase at the RSW. But you get the sense that he is more interested in giving the plant the recognition he feels it deserves.

“I would love more people to grow sweet peas, it is a lovely hobby that is so rewarding,” he said.

“You grow them for months and months and then, when they flower, you cut a bunch and take them home.”