Lobularia maritima
I love the scent of Sweet Alyssum in the summer sun. It self-sows abundantly in my garden. I usually pull out a lot in spring and trim with scissor during the summer. I didn’t do much of either this summer.
After hurricane Irene left us a little soggy but without any damage, we are having beautiful gardening weather so I decided to tidy the big patch of alyssum.
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As I started to pull up the plants, I realized how long they were - about 16 to 24 inches.
I ended up with a bale of hay sized pile and a little more room for the Dusty Miller.
I grow my alyssum around pink begonias under a rhododendron. The bush gives the begonias enough shade, and the alyssum, being on the outside of the bed, gets plenty of sun. I think it smells especially strong and sweet in the fall.
ReplyDeleteHave you had any luck with the purple varieties? I find they do not take hold and spread nearly as well as the white.
I have never grown any other color except white. I've often thought about it because they are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteDo you pull out the sweet alyssum in the fall so you can rake leaves?
ReplyDeleteI usually don't pull the alyssum until spring. The seeds that fall from this year's bloom seem to germinate better the next year if the old plants are left on the soil.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this year I pulled most of them in my fall cleanup. Usually a few will come up from the last year's crop if the old plants are pulled. If not, I'll have to buy some plants in the spring.