Sweet Alyssum : Growth And Care Guide
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By: Reggie Meehan | July 6, 2024
Sweet Alyssum, scientifically known as Lobularia maritima, is a delightful flowering plant cherished by gardeners for its beauty, fragrance, and versatility. Also known as Alyssum maritimum, Sweet Alyssum is closely related to other Alyssum species. However, Sweet Alyssum is different due to its sweet, honey-like scent, which adds an inviting aroma to garden landscapes. While it is often grown as an annual, Sweet Alyssum can behave as a short-lived perennial in milder climates, making it a versatile choice for garden planning.
Characteristics Of Sweet Alyssum
Fragrance: Sweet Alyssum is prized for its sweet, honey-like scent, which adds a delightful fragrance to garden landscapes.
Height: Sweet Alyssum typically grows to a height of 6 to 12 inches, forming dense mounds of foliage covered with clusters of tiny flowers.
Growth Habit: It has a low-growing and spreading growth habit, making it ideal for edging garden beds, filling borders, and cascading over containers and hanging baskets.
Leaves: The leaves are small, narrow, and gray-green, providing an attractive backdrop to the colorful blooms.
Flowers: Sweet Alyssum blooms in clusters of small flowers in shades of white, pink, and purple, adding vibrant color to gardens throughout the growing season.
Versatility: This plant is versatile, thriving in both full sun and partial shade, and adapting well to various soil types, including nutrient-poor soils.
Is Sweet Alyssum Annual Or Perennial?
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is almost always grown as an annual. In cooler climates, it can't survive frost, making it an annual by necessity. While it can act as a short-lived perennial in warmer climates, this is less common. Despite this, Sweet Alyssum remains a popular choice for gardens and landscapes regardless of its short lifespan.
Our Selection Of Sweet Alyssum!
“Snow White”
$10.99
Sweet Alyssum is prized for its low-growing habit and fragrant flowers. It's perfect for borders, containers, and hanging baskets.
“Purple”
$11.99
Sea Alyssum has golden-yellow flowers and is tolerant of salty conditions. It thrives in coastal gardens, xeriscaping, and rockeries.
“Goldilocks”
$10.99
Gold Alyssum features vibrant yellow flowers and a compact growth habit. This drought-tolerant species thrives in sunny locations.
Alpine Alyssum
$12.99
Alpine Alyssum has delicate white flowers and a hardy growth habit. It is an excellent choice for alpine settings and rooftop gardens.
How To Grow And Care For Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum thrives in full sun and prefers well-drained, moderately fertile soil. It is drought-tolerant once established, making it suitable for gardens with sandy or nutrient-poor soils. This plant is easy to grow from seeds, which can be sown directly into the garden after the last frost date. Alternatively, young plants are readily available at nurseries for immediate planting. Regular deadheading of spent flowers promotes continuous blooming throughout the growing season, attracting beneficial insects like bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Make sure to keep an eye out for pests and diseases.
For more information, check out our Full Guide To Cultivating Alyssum
Using Sweet Alyssum In The Garden
Container Gardening
Sweet Alyssum is an excellent choice for container gardening due to its low-growing, spreading habit, which creates a lush, cascading effect over the edges of pots and hanging baskets. Its dense clusters of tiny white, pink, or purple flowers add vibrant color and fragrance, enhancing the visual appeal of any container arrangement. I love using Sweet Alyssum in my window boxes. It creates a charming, cascading effect that looks stunning from both inside and outside the house.
Ground Cover
Sweet Alyssum is an ideal ground cover due to its ability to form dense mats of foliage and flowers, effectively suppressing weeds and preventing soil erosion. Its low-growing habit and spreading nature make it perfect for filling gaps in garden beds and borders, creating a carpet of color throughout the growing season.
Companion Planting
Sweet Alyssum is a superb companion plant as it attracts beneficial insects like bees, hoverflies, and predatory wasps that help with pollination and pest control. Its fragrant flowers enhance garden biodiversity, which can improve the health and vigor of nearby plants. When planted near vegetables, Sweet Alyssum can deter pests. Planting Sweet Alyssum alongside my tomatoes was one of the best gardening decisions I ever made!
Sweet Alyssum vs. Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) stands out from other Alyssum species primarily due to its sweet fragrance. Sweet Alyssum also attracts pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects with its fragrant flowers.
In contrast, species like Alyssum saxatile (Gold Alyssum) and Alyssum montanum (Mountain Alyssum) offer diverse colors and more upright growth forms. These Alyssum varieties often lack a strong fragrance, which reduces their appeal to pollinators compared to Sweet Alyssum.
Back in 2021, I planted both Sweet Alyssum and Gold Alyssum in my garden. While the Gold Alyssum added a beautiful golden hue, it was the Sweet Alyssum that stole the show with its fragrance and attracting bees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sweet Alyssum Annual Or Perennial?
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is typically grown as an annual in most regions, although in milder climates it can sometimes behave as a short-lived perennial. It blooms profusely throughout the growing season and may reseed itself in favorable conditions. I was pleasantly surprised when Sweet Alyssum reseeded itself in my garden one year. The next spring, I had even more beautiful blooms without any extra effort!
Is Sweet Alyssum Edible?
Sweet Alyssum is not commonly grown for culinary purposes as it lacks flavor and is primarily valued for its ornamental qualities. While technically edible and non-toxic, it is not typically consumed in significant quantities and is mainly enjoyed for its aesthetic appeal in garden landscapes.
Is Sweet Alyssum A Good Companion Plant?
Sweet Alyssum is an excellent companion plant in gardens as it attracts beneficial insects like bees and hoverflies, which aid in pollination and pest control. Its fragrant flowers also contribute to garden biodiversity and can enhance the health and vigor of nearby plants by attracting these helpful insects.
Do Deer Eat Sweet Alyssum?
Deer generally avoid consuming Sweet Alyssum due to its strong fragrance and somewhat bitter taste, making it a suitable choice for gardens prone to deer browsing. Planting Sweet Alyssum strategically can help deter deer and protect other more susceptible plants in garden landscapes.