Sweet Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
Sweet Alyssum is a low-mounding cool-season annual covered in tiny four-petaled flowers that smell strongly of honey. Native to the Mediterranean and Macaronesia, it is one of the most useful annuals in the Edmonton garden: frost-tolerant down to about -4 C, easy from seed, edible (peppery flowers add to salads), an exceptional pollinator and beneficial-insect magnet (especially hoverflies that prey on aphids), and self-seeding so reliably that one packet often supplies a yard for years. Classic colour is white, but lavender, deep purple, salmon, and apricot cultivars are widely sold. Use as edging, between paving stones, in container fronts, in vegetable rows as a living mulch and pollinator strip, or as a temporary groundcover under taller annuals. Often falters in midsummer Edmonton heat; shears back hard in late July and resumes bloom in cooler September weather.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Annual in Alberta (perennial in zones 9+, briefly biennial in zone 7-8). Native to the Mediterranean basin and the Canary Islands.
Light
Full sun to part sun. In Alberta, full sun is fine; in southern hot climates it prefers afternoon shade.
Bloom Time
May/June through September (with a midsummer pause in heat). Continues until killed by hard frost.
Soil
Average, well-drained soil. Tolerates poor or sandy soil cheerfully and actually blooms more freely on lean ground. Edmonton's Black Chernozem grows enormous lush plants but with slightly fewer flowers; lean soil yields a denser flowering carpet.
Water
Low to moderate. Drought-tolerant once established. Water during prolonged dry spells but otherwise let it look after itself.
Growing & Cultivation
Best Planting Time
Direct-sow outdoors as soon as soil is workable (late April to early May in Edmonton); seedlings tolerate light frost. For early flowers, start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost. Sow successively every 3 to 4 weeks for continuous bloom.
Propagation
Direct seed (surface-sow; light required for germination, do not cover). Germinates in 5 to 10 days at 15 to 20 C. Self-seeds reliably in Edmonton, often returning the next spring without effort. Allow some plants to set seed in late summer if you want volunteers.
Pruning / Splitting
Shear back by half in late July when blooms wane. Plants resume blooming within 2 weeks once cooler temperatures return.
Seed Collection
Tiny seeds form in flat round seedpods after blooming. Let pods dry on the plant, then crumble between fingers over a paper plate. Stores for 4+ years in a cool, dry place.
Spacing
15 to 20 cm. Plants will fill in to form a continuous carpet within a few weeks.
Always verify plant identification with multiple sources before consuming any wild plant. This information is for educational purposes only.
