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The Daily Insight

What colors can alyssum be

Author

Victoria Simmons

Published Apr 07, 2026

They are available in colors such as white, pink, red, and violet. The sweet smell of the plants and the bright coloration will bring pollinators to your garden.

Is alyssum an annual or a perennial?

Sweet alyssum, Lobularia maritima, is a common annual flower plant. Lobularia maritima is a mat-forming annual or short-lived perennial native to the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Azores, where it grows along the coast in rocky, sunny areas.

How do you keep alyssum blooming all summer?

Keep alyssum well-watered during hot, dry weather. It has few pests and diseases. In mid summer to stimulate more growth and flowering shear your alyssum plants by 1/3rd of their height. Fertilize afterward with a balanced product and water and they will regrow for a late summer flower show.

What time of year does alyssum bloom?

Common NamesSweet alyssum, alyssum, carpet flowerSoil pHNeutral to acidicBloom TimeSpring, fallFlower ColorWhite, pink, purpleHardiness Zones5–9 (USDA)

Does sweet alyssum bloom all summer?

It is a fast-growing plant that blooms white, pink, red, violet, yellow, and lilac flower clusters and has narrow green leaves. 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.

Do alyssum flowers spread?

Their popularity is largely due to their toughness and to the great number of blooms they produce. Because they stay short and spread sideways, Alyssum are highly versatile plants.

Which alyssum is most fragrant?

‘Snow Princess’ sweet alyssum Lobularia maritima ‘Snow Princess‘ is an exceptionally vigorous variety that’s heat tolerant and bears clusters of white flowers that are much larger than older varieties. It’s strongly fragrant, as well, and grows 6 inches tall but can trail to 5 feet.

Does alyssum like sun or shade?

Exposure: Sweet alyssum flowers best with at least six hours of full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. In warmer climates, plants perform best with protection from hot afternoon sun.

Does sweet alyssum come back every year?

Will alyssum come back? The answer is yes in most garden zones. Once the tiny flowers are spent, they will release seeds right back in to the ground. The easiest way to assure they reseed themselves is to do nothing when they die back.

Can alyssum survive winter?

Preferring full sun, sweet alyssum is resistant to cool temperatures and if you plant it early sweet alyssum is more likely to hang around even when summer temperatures soar.

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What grows well with alyssum?

Potatoes and Sweet Alyssum The sweet alyssum has tiny flowers that attract delicate beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps. Plant sweet alyssum alongside bushy crops like potatoes, or let it spread to form a living ground cover under arching plants like broccoli.

Where is the best place to plant alyssum?

Where to grow alyssum. As long as the ground is free-draining and doesn’t remain damp, alyssum will grow in any reasonable garden soil. Full sun gives the best flowers although light shade still gives good results. Grow at border edges, in pots and window boxes, on banks, rockeries, or at the edges of vegetable beds.

What do alyssum flowers symbolize?

Alyssum Flower Meaning & Symbolism – The Essentials Alyssum means “worth beyond beauty” or “sweetness of soul” in the Victorian language of flowers. It is also a plant with a role to play in witchcraft.

Does alyssum attract bees?

Sweet Alyssum Additionally, sweet alyssum has a strong, sweet scent, which can attract bees from large distances. These plants can grow and bloom all year long, which maintains its benefit for bees throughout the year. This plant attracts various other beneficial pollinators and is also tolerant to cold and drought.

Is alyssum a companion plant?

Sweet alyssum makes a great companion plant for any aphid-prone crop, including roses, fruit trees, and others. Pests have an easier time locating host plants when there are a large number of them planted closely together.

What do you do with alyssum in winter?

Alyssum – Your plants will die with the first hard frost. You can leave them out all winter or remove them to the compost pile. But keep the beds mulched right through the winter, ready for next year’s plants.

Is Sweet alyssum invasive?

Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum) is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

How far apart should you plant alyssum?

Alyssum grows fast and often stops blooming in hot weather. Broadcast seeds into cultivated soil or containers about 2 inches (5cm) apart, and barely cover them with soil. When the seedlings have more than four leaves, thin to 6 inches (15 cm) apart in all directions.

How cold can alyssum tolerate?

Those annuals that can withstand 20 degrees or so include pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, alyssum, dusty miller, viola, flowering cabbage and kale. Keep in mind that flowers may be a bit ragged after such cold but the plants should come through fine.

Is there a difference between sweet alyssum and alyssum?

Both alyssum and creeping phlox are low-growing, flowering plants. The common name, “alyssum,” however, can refer to more than one kind of plant. Sweet alyssum, usually grown as an annual, has the botanical name Lobularia maritimum. It belongs to the Brassicaceae plant family.

Does alyssum bloom year round?

Native to the Mediterranean region, alyssum is technically an annual but blooms year-round in Orange County. Foliage consists of tiny green leaves that turn brown but do not fall off during winter. Blossoms retain their color throughout the year in our climate and are attractive to bees.

Does alyssum carpet of snow spread?

Phenomenal spreader, one plant can grow a foot wide in a couple of months. Hardy annual, plant seedlings out a few weeks before the last frost for very early blooms.

Can alyssum grow in the shade?

You can also plant sweet alyssum flowers from seed straight into the garden in mild climates. Choose a location that has full sun, although sweet alyssum plants can tolerate partial shade as well.

Is alyssum an evergreen?

Alyssum saxatile) is an enchanting low-growing, evergreen perennial that will charm your garden with its masses of shining, golden-yellow flowers on display for 4 to 6 weeks in spring and contrasting splendidly with its gray-green foliage.

Does alyssum bloom the first year?

Sweet alyssum blooms from seed during its first year, so it can be treated as an annual or grown as a perennial within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5a through 9a, although it may die back with the frost and return from the roots in spring at the colder end of its range.

Do you Deadhead alyssum?

The reliable, easy-to-grow sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) spills its carpet of tiny snowy white or rich purple flowers over walkways, garden edging and the lips of pots all summer long with proper care. … Clipping off spent flowers, called deadheading, rejuvenates the mat-forming, cool-weather plant in midsummer.

Can alyssum grow in pots?

The need for good air circulation makes sweet alyssum perfect for growing in hanging baskets and large, upright containers. It doesn’t love being crowded in a garden bed with other plants. Wind dries out plants growing in containers fairly quickly, so check your plants often to make sure they aren’t drying out.

Are alyssum flowers edible?

The low-growing habit of sweet alyssum makes it a great border plant. … Did you know the leaves and flowers of sweet alyssum are edible? They make a peppery addition to a fresh garden salad.

What flowers are frost proof?

  • Lily-of-the-Valley. Don’t let its dainty blooms fool you — lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) is a tough plant. …
  • Siberian Iris. …
  • American Mountain Ash. …
  • Coral Bells (Heuchera) …
  • Pansies. …
  • Hosta. …
  • Siberian Cypress. …
  • ‘Fastigiata’ Spruce (Picea pungens var.

Do butterflies like alyssum?

Sweet Alyssum should not be confused with Gold Alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis), a perennial best suited to rock gardens. Sweet Alyssum likes full or part sun, and flowers best with regular water in well-drained soil. … Small butterflies and pollinators like bees are drawn to it, making it great in the butterfly garden.

Do birds like alyssum?

Sweet alyssum is favored as a container garden filler, but often the tiny white flowers are devastated by seed-eating birds. … Penstemon is a springtime favorite of seed-eating birds as well as nectar- loving hummingbirds.