What is sweet alyssum good for?
Its compact growth habit and dense foliage act as a natural ground cover, suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture. Furthermore, sweet alyssum is known to attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies and predatory wasps, which help control garden pests. Sweet Alyssum is an excellent choice for gardeners for several reasons: Fragrance: Sweet Alyssum is renowned for its delicate honey-like aroma that intensifies in the warm sun or during the evening.Its compact growth habit and dense foliage act as a natural ground cover, suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture. Furthermore, sweet alyssum is known to attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies and predatory wasps, which help control garden pests.Plant in well-draining soil. Place in an area with full sun but that also allows for shade. Provide your sweet alyssum plants with an inch of water every week, and water more when the climate becomes dry. Deadhead the plant to encourage more blooms.The perfect time to transplant sweet alyssum is when spring is just waking up. This setting allows sweet alyssum to comfortably establish itself in new surroundings before summer heat peaks. Transplanting sweet alyssum at this time increases its resilience and ensures lush growth, enhancing the beauty of your garden.
Can Alyssum reseed itself?
Low-growing Alyssum is a snowy ground cover at the front of the border or cascading over the side of a container. It will reseed itself and pop up next year to delight you in an unexpected spot. Consider buying seed for alyssum as it is super easy to germinate and you get a lot of bang for your buck. I buy several packs of seed, dump the whole pack on top of the soil, even on the mulch/soil, water it in and it will fill in beautifully. Create a border with it and often it reseeds the following year.Alyssum will reseed it self if allowed to go to seed but saving seed is always nice if you want to give some to friends or plant in a different part of the garden. Different varieties of Alyssum will cross pollinate with one another, so it is recommended to separate them by at least 1/4 mile.Alyssum seeds are so small that they are difficult to count, so scatter about four to eight seeds onto the surface of a general seed starting mix and gently press them no deeper than a 1/8th of an inch.Sunlight: Alyssum thrives in full sun to partial shade. It blooms best with at least 6 hours of sunlight daily but can tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter climates. Soil: Plant Alyssum in well-draining, moderately fertile soil. It prefers sandy or loamy soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.Growing Alyssum Indoors Starting seeds indoors is a great way to get a jump on spring planting late in the winter. Alyssum seeds should be started 8 weeks before the last frost and grown in a warm, very bright spot until they are large enough to plant outside in the spring.
Will Alyssum spread?
Sweet Alyssum also does very well in beds, raised or ground beds. It will spread nicely and you want to plant it on the edge to be a strong contrast to the rest of the plants. If you love this beautiful flowering annual, take a look at long-lasting varieties like Snow Princess®, Blushing Princess®, and White Knight® . They are much more vigorous and grow well in containers and landscapes. Here are a few tips for growing beautiful sweet alyssum.Sweet alyssum is a low-growing annual with honey-scented flowers. Pollinators love this flower, which blooms well into fall until a hard freeze. The miniscule seeds will spread themselves everywhere, filling in cracks between stone pavers and garden beds to provide a carpet of white or pink.It pairs well with other spring flowers like pansies, violas, dianthus, snapdragons, etc. Sweet alyssum can be grown in pots, hanging baskets, and window boxes. Allow it to cascade over the sides of a container. It can also be grown to line a path or in between stepping stones.Winter Care for Sweet Alyssum in Pots Container grown alyssum should be moved indoors before first frost if you plan to keep it overwinter. Place it in a cool location with bright light and reduce watering frequency. Continue to fertilize monthly with a water soluble product high in phosphorous such as an NPK 0-10-10.Alyssum is relatively easy to grow from seed, and once established, it can reseed itself from year to year. Choose an area that receives full sun to partial afternoon shade. Average soil that is well drained and medium moist will be fine.
Will sweet alyssum reseed?
In mild climates, Sweet Alyssum can reseed itself, appearing the next year, but it doesn’t persist like true perennials. Perennial types of alyssum can be easily propagated using semi-ripe cuttings in early summer.Sweet alyssum is a fast-growing plant that will bloom and proliferate within two months of seeding. Follow these tips to add sweet alyssum to your garden: Sow the seeds before the last frost. Start alyssum seeds indoors several weeks before the last frost date, and transplant outdoors once the seedlings are sturdy.I did alyssum last year (along with a lot of native plants) and it worked great! I winter sowed my native perennials in early January and plan to do my annuals in a couple of weeks.Alyssum is easy to grow and the plants make a wonderful living mulch as they keep soil cool and attract beneficial insects who will stay for the companion plants.Alyssum is not a plant that takes to dividing well. The best way to propagate it is to allow the plants to self-seed or save the seed so that the plant can be started indoors for the following spring. Alyssum will seed heavily in most growing zones. New seedlings may emerge in warmer zones such as 7 or 8.
What is the life cycle of alyssum?
Sweet alyssum grows best in cooler temperatures, so it will bloom in the spring, fade in the summer, and re-bloom again in the fall. It is typically grown as an annual, but will survive as a perennial in warmer climates. Growing Alyssum Indoors Starting seeds indoors is a great way to get a jump on spring planting late in the winter. Alyssum seeds should be started 8 weeks before the last frost and grown in a warm, very bright spot until they are large enough to plant outside in the spring.Sow and Plant Sow alyssum from early spring to early summer, and in autumn where winters are mild. Alyssum grows fast and often stops blooming in hot weather.Sow alyssum seeds by pressing them lightly into moist soil. The seeds need light to germinate, so you don’t need to cover them.Alyssum seeds typically germinate in 7 to 14 days, but it can take longer in some cases. Keep an eye on the containers daily. Once you see seedlings emerge, remove the plastic wrap or dome to reduce humidity.