Sweet Alyssum
Lobularia Maritime also known as Carpet of Snow
I’m told sweet Alyssum comes in white, blue, pink, or easter bonnet. I’ve never seen pink or easter bonnet in person. I have seen a bluish/lavender, which is lovely, but personally prefer the white, going on 30 years now for a few good reasons. The white varieties are more resistant to heat and sun and it stands out more, mixing well with all colors in my flowerbeds. I love alyssum because it is so very attractive. It’s easy to grow and to tend to; and most importantly, for me, it acts as a filler to enhance the fullness of my flower beds, making them appear more lush. Alyssum, when lining a driveway or sidewalk makes a terrific border; especially when mixing different plant sizes, you’ll tend to have bare spots and dark dirt exposed.
They are low growing, spreading as much as a foot wide and 8 inches tall. They do well in full sun to partial shade but do take quite a bit of water; consistency being the key. We water ours from 3 minutes daily, at 7 each morning, then 5 minutes twice a day on hot days (over 85 degrees), 7 am and 5 pm.
So, so easy to grow, they are clean and require no clipping or pruning. Known for their sweet smell, therefore, of course, they attract bees.
We plant when the temps cool down, so late October through December depending…
In the summer , they will dry up but your plant isn't dead, it just stops blooming when it’s real hot so as to conserve energy to bust out when the cool temps return. So if you can stand the dry dreariness, please don’t pull them up! They will come back! When their tiny flowers are drying and dying, they release tiny seeds into the ground and return as fluffy plants towards the end of the year.
Once established they can handle frost and believe me we had some cold winter nights this past January-February and mine are as a robust as ever. Just make sure you toss an old sheet over them when the weatherman predicts temps to drop below 34 degrees. And if you do cover them, make sure to get the cover off in the morning around 7 am so they can take in as much sunlight as possible.
If you’re a Phoenician with rock yards, you can easily pop in a few alyssum around the rocks. They look awesome in rock gardens, poking up around boulders. Alyssum is really great at the base of those wood carvings and large ceramic or metal sculptures, too!
These plants are known to be non-toxic to animals, are soft to the touch and did I mention the sweet smell?? Lovely.
As much as I am an advocate for amending soil, these are one plant that I find needs nothing at all. I purchase the starter plants at Lowe’s or Home Depot and dig a hole about 4 by 4 inches by 4 inches (wide and deep) and just pop them in the ground.
Below are a few of my own photos. You’ll notice one to be a border, another sporadic throughout a flowerbed and another is a couple of plants bunched together to form a small bush. And below that is my little sanctuary, my spiritual spot. My personal space for contemplation and where I send my thoughts out to the universe.
Notice the ‘carpet of snow’ drawing your eye up to my peaceful buddha. As if to say “come to me and I will hear you”.
