Nothing could be easier and more rewarding for the sunny garden than this hardy, long-lived, super colorful Alyssum. The yellow blooms just seem to radiate sunny warmth, entirely obsuring the foliage as they spread in beds and borders, tumble over walls, and trail from the sides of sun-soaked hanging baskets and windowboxes.
The flowers are tiny and densely-set right down to the ground, on plants that reach just 6 inches high (1 foot in bloom) tall but spread freely up to 18 inches within a single season. Alyssum (also called Basket of Gold and Dwarf Goldentuft) is among the most popular choice for rock gardens, groundcover, and edging, and it's easy to see why. It's not fussy about soil (it may even flower more generously in poor soils!), asking only full sun to bloom all spring long on vigorous plants. A bit of drought and a lot of sun won't bother it! The foliage is grayish-green, and it even blooms the first year from seed! Irresistible to butterflies and honeybees, it's a gardener's helper as well as a gorgeous source of spring radiance.
Deer leave this plant alone, and it needs very little maintenance to keep blooming and spreading its best for years. Shear it back after flowering for a neater look (you may get a second flush of blooms in late summer or early fall), and enjoy the muted colors of the dense foliage through summer and fall. Eager to reseed and naturalize in your garden, it is an ever-increasing source of beauty and pleasure! Pkt is 200 seeds. Zones 3-8. |
