Blooming Friday

our sweet alyssum during the warm months last year

Another easy to grow plant is the sweet alyssum (Lobuluria maritima) or simply alyssum (the name of the genus it belonged to before it was reclassified to the genus Lobularia). It is an annual plant but the ones I’ve planted around two years ago are still around. Of course, during winter they turn brown and dry, but the following spring, leaves sprout and flowers bloom until the season turns frosty. Well, maybe they self-sow, giving me the impression that that they grow from the very same plants I’ve grown the year before. But in any case, their cultivation is not difficult. Once sown, they grow on their own without much intervention on the gardener's part. Well, of course watering them from time to time is still necessary. What is more interesting is that they grow better in partial shade and the seeds don’t cost much.


They might not grow high (they are usually used as a ground cover) but they can give flowers almost all-year round, except if the temperature becomes too cold. One can plant it even in the middle of summer to give flowers in autumn. But of course, it would be better to sow them in spring to make the most of its blooming season. And if the wilted blooms are cut, you will have abundant sweet-smelling flowers that provide a great contrast to its foliage (especially the type with white flowers). A light breeze can diffuse their honey and vanilla scent which makes them ideal as pathway plants, near your windows or gazebos, or any other part of your garden where you usually sit down and have tea while chatting with your friends.


I planted them along our front porch together with our roses. So whenever I open the door, I am greeted by their sweet fragrance, an inviting note to take a walk outside. And with their white color peeking through the leaves and stems of our roses, the flower patch looks like bouquets of red roses with baby’s breath (gypsophila) one usually finds in flower shops. Only this time it’s with sweet alyssum and they don’t come in cut flowers wrapped in a transparent (or sometimes colored) cellophane tied with a ribbon, but rather real plants that last for the duration of the warm season.


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