Sweet Alyssum Care and Growing Tips
Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite cool-season annuals: sweet alyssum.
This low-growing beauty is native to the Mediterranean region (hence the botanical name (Lobularia maritima). It will thrive in just about any garden as long as the temperatures remain fairly cool and the humidity isn’t too high. Folks in the south can grow it in the winter and spring. Those up north can delight in it all summer long.
The flowers have a very strong honey-like fragrance which most people enjoy, although there are those who don’t care for the scent. They grow well from seed, blooming in just 6 to 8 weeks.
I find alyssum works well as a border plant at the edge of garden beds, and I also find it especially well-suited to containers. It looks lovely as it grows and spills over the sides, and it mixes well with other spring and summer annuals.
Small butterflies and pollinators like bees are drawn to it, making this flowering annual a great choice for your butterfly garden.
Sweet alyssum should not be confused with gold alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis), a perennial best suited to rock gardens. Sweet…
