GREAT TO ATTRACT POLLINATORS TO YOUR VEGGIES, GROWS IN ANY SOIL! BLOOMS ALL THE ROUND!

Description
Alyssum Violet Queen Lobularia Maritima is a low-growing, annual ground cover that can be easily established from seeds. Also known as Sweet Alyssum or Sweet Alison this gorgeous, compact variety forms a thick, clumping ground cover and blooms with clusters of small, honey-scented, violet-purple flowers.

Alyssum Violet Queen grows and spreads rapidly producing an excellent ground cover in no time. Alyssum is also often planted in borders, rock gardens, between paving stones, in containers, pots, and window boxes.

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, butterflies and other insect pollinators.

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
Annual plants grow to 12cm tall and flower around 60 days. Shear plants after first flowering for a second bloom.