Alyssum Sweet Alyssum Care

Alyssum Flowers How To Grow Alyssum In Your Garden?

The Alyssum is commonly known as Sweet Alyssum or Sweet Alison. It belongs to the family Brassicaceae and is a genus of over 100 to 150 species of flowering plants. They are a perennial and annual herbaceous plant. The most common type of Alyssum has white attractive flowers known as a carpet of snow and it’s also flowers in yellow – gold dust and pink with purple colours. They are native to the Mediterranean region and are commonly grown in containers or on rock garden or as border plants.

Certain facts about Alyssum

The scientific name of Alyssum is Alyssum Maritimum or Lobularia Maritime and they mean ‘small pod’ and ‘marine’ in Greek. Normally, they flower in clusters of small flowers and each flower has four petals. The flowers grow approximately 5 mm in diameter. Some of the colours of the flower are yellow, white, pink, lilac, violet and rosy red. The annual flowering plants are small and low growing that grow up to a dwarf height of 2 to 12 inches. The flowers of the Alyssum have a sweet smell and are easily pollinated by insects. The flowers are seen all through the growing season. The plant has the capacity to self-seed and they can grow wildly. The leaves of the Alyssum are oval or oblong in shape. They are quite hairy

and are alternate and each grows to a height of 1 to 4 mm and about 3 to 5 mm wide.

Growing Alyssum

The Alyssum seeds can be planted directly from the packet into your garden in mild weather climates. They prefer to be in full sun or in partial shade, but will not tolerate full dark conditions. They will grow well in humusy, good drained soil with a light application of fertiliser. It is important to keep the soil wet as the plant will stop flowering if the soil is dry. The plant transplants will show faster growth than the seeds that are sown directly on the ground.

• The seeds can be planted indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost.
• The plant transplants or the seeds can be sown outdoors in the early part of the spring.
• The soil bed has to be prepared by raking, removing the weeds and giving it certain organic feeds. Ensure the soil to be a well-draining one before planting the seeds.
• The seeds need to be sprinkled on the soil bed and pressed lightly into the soil.
• The soil has to be kept moist till the leave starts to appear. The Alyssum will germinate in a week to 10 days time.
• They need to be planted tightly as a group with each plant just 6 inches apart so that they can grow quickly and form a flowering carpet of snow look.

Care for Alyssum

The Alyssum plants do not need much maintenance once they start to grow. The soil needs to be kept moist in their developing stage and ensure that the soil does not go dry. The stems can be trimmed off after the blooming is over. This will help in the plant, to bloom even better. The plant will self-sow and you can see this plant as a regular feature in your garden every year.