This little known and underutilized perennial is rather a one-trick-pony in that it really has only one season of beauty. But what a season it is! This little charmer produces a gorgeous 12”-15” bouquet shaped mass of pea flowers that start out reddish-purple and age to purple-blue. (there is also a rose pink flowering form called ‘Rosenelfe’ or ‘Rose Fairy’.).   It is strikingly beautiful during its three to four weeks of bloom and definitely earns its place in the garden. After blooming the flowers turn to dark seedheads which, once the seeds are dropped, become coffee colored spirals. The foliage remains throughout the season but becomes rather ragged by late summer so companioning it with a late emerging perennial that will conceal its foliage later in the season is a good placement strategy. Lathyrus vernus is drought tolerant and adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions from full sun to significant shade