How to Grow Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

When you find a long-blooming annual eager to mound into a big lump of fragrant flowers, you remember it, add it to your garden year after year, and generally find any excuse to use it that you can get away with.

Ladies and gentlemen, sweet alyssum is that flower. And if you aren’t familiar with it by now, prepare for a crash course in how to grow gorgeous Lobularia maritima.

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Do you already include it in your gardening rotation? Good! You’ll still find some excellent pro tips below, and you can consider this a refresher on how to grow this lovely annual.

Sweet alyssum (L. maritima) is flower that is happy to grow prolifically.

Have a few empty patches in your yard or garden that are begging to be filled with a low-growing annual? Or are you looking for something to add soft texture to your seasonal containers? Alyssum is the solution!

Perhaps you want a set-it-and-forget-it style of annual that will eagerly reseed for consecutive years. Maybe a pleasant looking ground cover is in order, to block weeds from sprouting up. Again, this is the plant for you.

I’ve used L. maritima as ground cover in vegetable gardens to prevent weeds from coming back, and it doubles as an attractant to certain types of local pollinators. Plus, it’s low maintenance, and similar to vitex in the ease with which it spreads.

And let’s not forget that sweet aroma! In the wide world of aromatic annuals, alyssum must rank near the top of the “Most Pleasant” category. That lovely scent is perfectly paired with the soft white, pink, or purple flowers of this