General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Annual
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Plant Height: 3 to 8 inches; most cultivars are 3 to 4 inches
Plant Spread: 12 to 18 inches
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Flower Color: Lavender
Pink
White
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late winter or early spring
Spring
Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Fall
Uses: Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Propagation: Seeds: Provide light
Self fertile
Needs specific temperature: about 70 degrees F
Days to germinate: 8 days
Depth to plant seed: shallow, about 1/4 inch
Sow in situ
Start indoors
Can handle transplanting
Pollinators: Various insects
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Suitable for hanging baskets
Miscellaneous: Monoecious

Image
Common names
  • Sweet Alyssum
  • Seaside Lobularia
  • Sweet Alison
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Lobularia maritima
  • Synonym: Alyssum maritimum

Photo Gallery
Location: Aberdeen, NC (Aberdeen Feed and Seed supply store)
Date: March 28, 2023
Sweet Alyssum #192 nn; LHB p. 445, 83-18-; MGB, "Genus name comes

Date: 2022-03-19

Date: 2004-10-26
Growing and spreading on pond pebble landscaping.
Location: My garden
Date: 2019-12-28
Location: my garden 
Date: 2018-01-01
Location: My garden in SoCal.
Date: 2019-01-03
Location: Granite Falls, WA
Date: 2018-08-21
Location: Barcelona, Spain | April, 2023 
Date: 2023-04-02
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-06-27
Location: IL
Date: 2008-07-08
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-07-22

 Courtesy Outsidepride
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Canada
Date: 2017-09-07
Location: West Valley City, UT
Date: 2012-07-15
Photo by HemNorth
Location: Athol, MA
Date: 2017-08-20

Date: 2022-03-27
Photo by sedumzz
Location: Tossa de Mar, Spain | April, 2023 
Date: 2023-04-04
Location: My garden
Date: 2019-11-16
Location: Torrey Pines Gliderport - San Diego, California
Date: 2015-01-10
Location: Wilmington, Delaware USA
Date: 2020-06-28
The flowers are sweetly fragrant
Location: Wilmington, Delaware USA
Date: 2020-06-28
Clouds of solitary Hymenoptera may be found at the flowers
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-07-03

Date: 2015-04-13
Location: West Valley City, UT
Date: 2012-07-15
Location: Mason, New Hampshire
Date: 2011-09-04
Location: Hamilton Square Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2017-12-28
One very welcomed winter blooming annual in this garden of perenn
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
Date: 2018-08-30
Alyssum waterfall
Location: Tossa de Mar, Spain | April, 2023 
Date: 2023-04-04
Location: Torrey Pines Gliderport - San Diego, California
Date: 2015-01-10
Location: In backyard, Elk Grove, CA
Date: 2014-4-19
Alyssum Roseum
Location: West Valley City, UT
Location: Houston
Date: 2014-05-18
Location: Houston
Date: 2014-05-18
Location: Wilmington, Delaware USA
Date: 2020-06-28
Syrphid flies are attracted to the small flowers.
Location: My garden in Kalama, Wa. Zone 8
Date: 2009-09-23
  • Uploaded by Joy

Courtesy Outsidepride
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Barcelona, Spain | April, 2023 
Date: 2023-04-04

Credit NPS
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2020-08-21
annual in bloom
Location: Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
Date: 2020-10-15
three plants in a big pot
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2014-05-10
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2014-05-10
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: 2012-08-17 
Blooming mightily all summer in my back alley.  A tough plant!
Location: Darwell Rolling Woods, Alberta
Date: 2016-09-01

Date: 2016-09-03
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Comments:
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 1, 2014 7:02 PM concerning plant:
    Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum) serves as a larval host plant for the Cabbage White and Checkered White butterflies.

    Sweet Alyssum also reportedly attracts a variety of beneficial insects to the garden including:

    --Ladybugs, which feed on aphids, mealybugs, soft scales, and spider mites

    --Mini-wasps, which feed on aphids, armyworms, codling moths, European corn borer, flies, gypsy moths, cabbageworms, and many other caterpillars and insects

    --Pirate, Damsel, and Bigeyed Bugs, which feed on a variety of insects including small caterpillars, leaf hopper nymph, spider mites, thrips, insect eggs, aphids, tarnished plant
    bugs, thrips, and treehoppers

    --Assassin bugs, which feed on many different caterpillars and flies

  • Posted by wildflowers (North East Texas - Zone 7b) on Dec 5, 2011 6:18 PM concerning plant:
    Direct seed or set out starts of sweet alyssum near plants that have been attacked by aphids in the past. Alyssum flowers attract hoverflies whose larva devour aphids. Another plus is that their blooms draw bees to pollinate early blooming fruit trees. They will reseed freely and make a beautiful groundcover every year.
    A hardy annual, native to Southern Europe, but has naturalized throughout the United States.
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Sep 20, 2011 4:35 PM concerning plant:
    Honey bees get nectar and pollen from this plant
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Oct 30, 2020 12:20 PM concerning plant:
    This short forb from southern Europe is commonly used as an annual in the northern US & southern Canada. It is sold by most every conventional garden center or nursery in the annuals section. It is cold hardy for an annual and it takes a real cold spell to kill it rather than just some frosts. It can be planted outside in early spring in March, as it loves cool weather, and also sunny. It suffers from the heat and humidity of summer or too many wet, cloudy days, but normally survives and revives in autumn and can last into December. It is often used as an edging plant along borders. I often used it as the shortest annual along edges, followed by the taller Ageratum (Floss-flower) then to Marigolds or Madagascar Vince to Red or Blue Salvias to something really tall as Cannas, Spiderflowers, or Tender Fountaingrass. The are at least 10 cultivars of Sweet Alyssum offered with flowers usually white, but pink or light lavender or purple are also available, all with the strong sweet scent, and cultivars are only about 3 to 4 inches high. 'New Carpet of Snow, Rosie O'Day (pink), and Royal Carpet' (purple) are old time favorites; but very similar newer cultivars like them are also offered.
  • Posted by Ispahan (Chicago - Zone 6a) on Aug 21, 2012 7:14 PM concerning plant:
    The fragrance of this plant is honey-like and charming, especially when wafting on a summer breeze, but it is extremely vigorous and can easily overwhelm and smother smaller plants. I planted it because it is said to attract bees and hover flies, but the bees in my area ignore it in favor of more attractive nectar sources like basil, agastache and Russian sage. Occasionally I will see tiny sweat bees and common house flies on the blooms.
Plant Events from our members
piksihk On November 19, 2019 Bloomed
piksihk On January 1, 2018 Bloomed
still blooming thus far in cold;
piksihk On January 16, 2017 Seeds sown
round bed & port. bed
piksihk On January 1, 2015 Bloomed
front bed
lovesblooms On May 11, 2015 Seeds sown
direct
LizDTM On September 29, 2017 Plant emerged
LizDTM On September 25, 2017 Seeds sown
Naturescape30 On June 1, 2018 Obtained plant
aspenhill On May 4, 2020 Obtained plant
Black Creek Greenhouse - qty 3 4-packs
aspenhill On April 30, 2016 Obtained plant
Lurgan Greenhouse - qty flat
Flowerlover6 On October 19, 2022 Seeds sown
WebTucker On March 29, 2023 Bloomed
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Not Alyssum spinosum 'Roseum' by growitall Apr 21, 2014 8:20 PM 6
incorrect ID by janinilulu May 26, 2022 8:37 AM 1

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