Sweet Alyssum
By Sophia Stevens UCCE Master Gardener
Common name of plant: Sweet Alyssum
Scientific name: Lobularia maritima
Planting area: 5-9 (USDA)
Size: Low growing flowering plant, 3-9 inches tall and 10-48 inches wide
Bloom Season: Honey-scented flowers bloom from spring to frost and are arranged in tidy clumps and clusters
Exposure: Full sun to part shade (especially in warmer climates)
Water needs: Prefers moist, well-drained (even rocky) soil; older cultivars are more drought tolerant
There are many reasons to love this versatile little plant. Sweet alyssum is easy to grow and offers an abundance of tiny blooms that have a showy, fluffy texture, making them a staple in many gardens. Alyssum only needs soil with good drainage and ample light. Full sun with dappled shade in hotter climates is important. Small 6-packs from local nurseries are readily available. Once planted, they quickly develop into low growing clumps with many blooms. The most common color is white; however purple and pink flowering plants may be available. The common name, sweet alyssum, comes from the honey-scented blossoms that beneficial insects can't resist.
Sweet alyssum can be planted spring through fall and blooms year-round on the Central Coast, once established. Any plant that blooms during the winter months is a rare treat in any garden and these beauties will bloom alongside other cold-hardy friends including snapdragons, petunias, violas and pansies to add both color and texture when the rest of your garden is resting.
Sweet alyssum can be planted along borders or let it waterfall over your planter box, rock garden or hanging baskets. Include alyssum in your vegetable gardens to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. Alyssum is considered an “insectary plant,” as it attracts syrphid flies, lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps, all of which are natural enemies of aphids and other plant feeding insects.
In commercial agriculture, sweet alyssum can help manage aphids when planted en masse. It's been used in organic lettuce fields to attract syrphid flies in numbers great enough to manage aphids without using chemicals. Conversely, it has also been used as a trap crop. Alyssum can be crushed and put into a manufactured trap to attract stink bugs, such as bagrada bug, that damage crops.
As flowers bloom and die, flat-shaped seedpods called silicles form and the plant will self-sow. If left undisturbed, this plant can be enjoyed for years to come as it attracts beneficials and brightens your garden boarders.
Our Advice to Grow By Workshops are back!!!
Our next workshop will be January 21st, 2023, at 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. in our Seven Sisters Demonstration Garden at 2154 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo. The topic will be “Fruit Trees: How Winter Care Can Aid Warm Weather Success”.
Learn why the winter season is so important to the development of deciduous fruit trees. You'll learn how to select and plant bare root trees, how to arm yourself for dealing with pests and disease, and how winter is an important time to perform maintenance on mature trees along with a pruning demonstration. There will also be a discussion of winter care of citrus trees. This workshop will be held in our garden so please be prepared for the weather outside. Inclement weather will cancel the workshop.
Other ways to see or reach us:
You can view workshops on Instagram live at slo mg or visit our You Tube channel at “San Luis Obispo County UC Master Gardeners.”
Visit our website at ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/ or email questions to anrmgslo@ucanr.edu.
Our physical offices are now open!!!!!
Covid may still affect staffing levels, so it is best to call before heading to your local Helpline office:
San Luis Obispo: 805-781-5939 (Monday and Thursday 1:00 to 5:00)
Arroyo Grande: 805-473-7190 (10:00 to 12:00)
Templeton: 805-434-4105 (Wednesday 9:00 to 12:00)