Beautiful Sweet Alyssums

The name sweet alyssum is a beautiful name for a beautiful annual flower. Sweet alyssums are appropriately named too. Sweet alyssums are sweetly fragrant, and the scent of sweet alyssums blends well with other fragrant flowers. Consider the sweet alyssum if you want an annual flower that's just as fragrant as it is beautiful.

Description of Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssums are annual flowers with hundreds of tiny blooms. The blooms of the sweet alyssum are clustered in a rounded group, and they are very dainty and delicate. Most people think of the color white when they think of sweet alyssums, but sweet alyssums are available in purple and white, lavender, and beautiful shades of pink. Sweet alyssums reach a maximum height of approximately six inches, and these outstanding annual flowers will provide beauty and fragrance all season long.

Locations for Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssums are hardy annual flowers that are suitable for most cool and moderate hardiness zones, and they can endure light frost. Sweet alyssums prefer locations that receive full sun, but sweet alyssums can survive in partially shaded locations.

Although sweet alyssums are hardy annual flowers, sweet alyssums do require well-drained soil. If your soil is mainly clay, mix in compost or other organic matter before planting your flowers. Compost and other organic material is beneficial to all plants and flowers. Adding compost and other organic matter is a way to improve the texture of the soil and add essential nutrients.

Besides being hardy, sweet alyssums are very versatile annual flowers. When sweet alyssums are planted directly in the ground they tend to spread like groundcover. They do a wonderful job of filling in open spaces between bushes and other flowers and plants. Sweet alyssums are perfect annual flowers for rock gardens, window boxes, strawberry barrels, or even the top of a garden wall. Sweet alyssums planted in containers often cascade gracefully over the sides, and they are perfect for hanging baskets. Sweet alyssums unite well with other annual flowers, potted as well as those planted in the ground, and sweet alyssums are a fantastic choice no matter where you consider planting them.

Planting and Growing Sweet Alyssum

After the danger of heavy frost has passed in your location, sweet alyssums may be planted outdoors. Sweet alyssums have always been quite popular, and they are readily available in most garden centers.

The seeds of the sweet alyssum are very tiny, so if you plan on planting sweet alyssum seeds, be careful not to oversew them. If you do happen to drop too many seeds while planting sweet alyssums, don't bother trying to remove them. Sweet alyssums aren't bothered by overcrowded conditions. Seedlings can be thinned to provide about four inches of space between plants when they reach a height of about two inches.

Sweet alyssums can tolerate drought after they are well established, but while they are maturing, provide them with a weekly drink of water. If weather is exceptionally hot or dry, water immature sweet alyssums as necessary.

Sweet alyssums are annual flowers that don't require fertilizer, but if you want your sweet alyssums to reach their full potential, consider providing them with a monthly application of water-soluble plant food. Follow specific product label instructions for best results.

The sweet alyssum blooms for approximately eight weeks, and you can promote new blooms by trimming sweet alyssums after the first flowers have withered away. If you live in a warmer climate, remove sweet alyssums that have finished blooming, and shake the plants over the soil to drop the seeds. In about eight weeks you'll have a new group of beautiful sweet alyssums growing in the same location.