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Sweet alyssum, cute ground cover

Sweet alyssum, Lobularia
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Tiny puffs of white, pink or violet flowers crowd together at ankle height, giving off a sweet, honey-like scent. Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is an annual grown chiefly as a flowering ground cover; give it full sun and soil that drains freely, and it will carpet the ground in bloom from spring into summer.

Sweet alyssum at a glance
Name Lobularia or Alyssum maritimum
Family Brassicaceae
Type annual
Height 1 ½ feet (15 cm)
Exposure full sun
Soil ordinary
Flowering spring, summer

Often used for ground cover, it bestows an beautiful ornamental touch to the garden.

There are 2 types of alyssum, one is a perennial that blooms in spring whereas the other, sweet alyssum, is an annual that blooms in summer.

The one we’re presenting here is sweet alyssum.

Sowing sweet alyssum

To sow sweet alyssum correctly, you must start in spring.

  • From April to June, best sow directly in the plot or flower bed.
  • Favor an emplacement that is richly endowed with sunlight.
  • Double-check that the soil drains well and water doesn’t linger.

Choose a very sunny spot, that will ensure they’ll bloom best and their fragrance will be strongest.

  • Once you’ve sown the seeds, water regularly until they sprout and then, in case of extreme heat.

All there is to know about sweet alyssum

This cover plant boasts abundant blooming that will perfectly fulfill its mission as a ground cover plant, and does so in a colorful, gay manner.

Sweet alyssum ground cover
Abundant bloom fulfils its role as flowering ground cover

Thanks to its flowers that range from white to red with instances of pink, you’ll catch the eyes of by-passers with your beautiful garden.
This annual especially needs watering in summer, and in which case it is better to water in the evening to reduce premature water evaporation.

Native to Western Asia and Europe, the flowers form cute puffs of flowers with a sweet honey-like fragrance.

Its flowers are often white but can also be purple or violet.

Smart tip about sweet alyssum

Adding manure and seaweed based compost to the soil you’re sowing in (about 20% in volume) will greatly increase your plant’s growth and flowering!


Images: Pixabay: Dewdrop, May_Hokkaido

Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.

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