THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A BED OF THESE TO MAKE YOU SMILE, IT’S JUST SO DELICIOUS PLUS IT BRINGS THE BEES AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS TO YOUR GARDEN!

Description
Royal Carpet Alyssum is a low growing, spreading annual flower to 15cm tall that produces masses of sweetly fragrant, deep-violet to mauve coloured flowers.

Alyssum is native to the Mediterranean where it’s commonly found growing on sandy soils. This is an old-time, cottage-garden, heirloom variety of Alyssum meaning that you can save the seeds from year to year and they’ll have the same growth habit and flower colour as the parent plants.

Alyssum makes an excellent cover for weed suppression as a living mulch and is amazing for attracting beneficial insects. Tiny predatory wasp species are attracted by the small flowers, and will feed on caterpillars, aphids, and other pests. The nectar within the Alyssum flowers is a preferred food source for the adult stages of caterpillar-parasitic micro-wasps and hoverflies, the larvae of which are voracious predators of aphids. The nectar is also irresistible to small native bees and other insect pollinators.

Ideal for edging, baskets, or pots. Excellent, well-behaved companion plants for most garden vegetables.

Alyssum flowers are edible! They have a slightly sweet and peppery flavour which are great in a salad.

Grow Notes
Choose a growing site for Alyssum that receives full sun for best flowering. Alyssum will also grow well in light shade, but flowering may be reduced. Alyssum requires a free-draining soil to grow successfully. Sandy soils are great.

Apply a complete liquid organic fertiliser, worm juice or compost tea every few weeks throughout the growing season to encourage flowering over a long period and promote healthy growth.

Sow
Very small seeds, mix with fine grains of sand if needed to aid distribution of seeds.

Sow Alyssum seeds in groups of 8 to 10 seeds for stronger effect. Do not cover as they need light to germinate. Plants grow to 15cm tall, but they tend to spread, so if needed you can keep them compact by growing in full sun.

Germination
7-14 days at 18-22°C

Maturity
May overwinter and be successfully grown as a short-lived perennial in warmer climates but grows as an annual in cooler climates. Plants grow to 12cm tall and flower around 60 days. Shear plants after first flowering for a second bloom.