Garden and Flowers

SWEET ALYSSUM

Gardens where sweet alyssum comes up spontaneously are fortunate, for they must have soil that is loose and aerated, sunny, yet moist enough to allow seeds to germinate. Alyssum is a small plant and will not return to hardened, neglected, overgrown soil in a chilly garden. You will have to sow it yourself the first time round, because the species originally came from the sunny slopes along the Mediterranean coasts. Warmth is important to germination, which is why the plant often germinates between paving slabs and in cracks in walls.

For hundreds of years, seed merchants have continually introduced new cultivars of sweet alyssum. Most modern cultivars are very compact, often no more than 2V2-4 in high when they come into flower. This makes them very suitable for forming part of colored patterns in flower-beds. The old-fashioned taller varieties show up better as edging plants and in containers, but, unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire them. The rounded heads of small flowers appear at the top of short stems and release a delightfully sweet, honeyed fragrance. The seed will be start to form lower down. That is the time to cut the flowers if you want to enjoy flowering sweet alyssum in late summer; the plants will recover rapidly and flower again. Sweet alyssum is very easy to sow. Scatter the seed outdoors from mid-April. It is very important to sow Lobularia very thinly, because plants that are too crowded will flower poorly and become subject to mildew. Thin the seedlings to at least 4 in, and preferably to 6-8 in apart. Sowing indoors earlier in the year is quite feasible. You need not start excessively early, because the seedlings develop into flowering plants within two months. Some people sow Lobularia in autumn and provide protection against the worst of the wet cold. The plants will then come into flower very early, but are more likely to be affected by mildew.

Lobularia maritima ‘Easter Bonnet Deep Rose’ is one of the latest arrivals – it is low-growing, and bears a profusion of small bright pink flowers. Lobularia maritima ‘Easter Bonnet Pink’ belongs to the same series and has lilac-pink flowers. Lobularia maritima ‘New Apricot’ is a dwarf, with seemingly white flowers that, on closer inspection, turn out to have a touch of apricot.

Lobularia maritima ‘Paletta’ has a wide range of colors, several shades of pink – crimson, lilac, brownish – and also white. The small plants have a delightfully old-fashioned look about them, and yet they are only 4 in high. In fact, ‘Paletta’ is very modern and was introduced in 1997.

Lobularia maritima ‘Salmon’ has flowers in a currently fashionable color – salmon pink. The small plants grow to about 4 in high. At 3V4 in high, Lobularia maritima Tiny Tim’ is a genuine miniature, with a spreading habit. The plants themselves are hidden from view by a carpet of small white flowers. One of the Dutch common names for sweet alyssum is “snow carpet,” and ‘Tiny Tim’ shows you the reason.