Sweet alyssum: when to sow, plant and see it flower
Sowing, planting and flowering dates for your climate, with growing advice.
Photo: Terranaut, Pixabay Content License · image resized
When to sow and plant in your region
Average dates, computed from the frost dates of each climate. For your exact dates, choose your town.
| Climate | Sow under cover | Sow outdoors | Flowering |
|---|---|---|---|
| South and east of England | 26 January – 15 February | 16 March – 21 June | 23 May – 3 October |
| South-west England and Wales | 15 January – 4 February | 5 March – 10 June | 12 May – 19 October |
| Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland | 6 February – 26 February | 27 March – 2 July | 3 June – 2 October |
| Scotland | 16 February – 8 March | 6 April – 12 July | 13 June – 12 October |
| Ireland | 23 January – 12 February | 13 March – 18 June | 20 May – 10 October |
Growing
- Life cycle
- Annual (sown and in flower the same year)
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Latin name
- Lobularia maritima
- Cold tolerance
- Half-hardy (dislikes hard frost)
- Soil temperature to germinate
- 16 °C minimum
- Emergence
- 8–10 days
- Spacing
- 10–30 cm
Sources
- The Old Farmer's Almanac — Companion planting chart
- Brennan E.B. (2013). Agronomic aspects of strip intercropping lettuce with alyssum for biological control of aphids. Biological Control (USDA-ARS, Salinas CA)
- RHS — Three ways to use companion planting
- RHS — Plant pages (hardiness ratings H1-H7)
- University of Illinois Extension — Annuals
- NC State Extension Gardener Handbook — 10. Herbaceous Ornamentals
- Jardiner Malin — flower and bulb fiches (same species; the lin, bleuet and lavatère pages are seed product pages, and lin is red flax)
- Gerbeaud — flower and bulb fiches (cosmos, souci, capucine, tournesol, alysse, zinnia, nigelle de Damas, coquelicot, pavot de Californie, pois de senteur, muflier, reine-marguerite, ipomée, mauve annuelle, annuelles rustiques, giroflée ravenelle, digitale, myosotis, pensée, rose trémière, pâquerette, lupin, ancolie, delphinium, échinacée, rudbeckia, gaillarde, achillée, tulipe, crocus, jacinthe, perce-neige, muscari, ail d'ornement, dahlia, glaïeul, lis, bulbes d'automne, profondeur de plantation)
- The Old Farmer's Almanac — flower growing guides (cosmos, calendula, marigolds, nasturtiums, sunflowers, sweet alyssum, zinnias, sweet peas, snapdragons, morning glories, poppies, bachelor's buttons, foxglove, pansies, hollyhocks, lupines, columbine, delphiniums, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, yarrow, dianthus, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, snowdrops, dahlias, gladiolus, lilies)
- Johnny's Selected Seeds — Flower Growing Guide and key growing information pages