Tips For Getting Sweet Alyssum To Bloom All Fall And Winter Long

While we often associate flowers like mums and asters with fall weather, they're far from the only flowers that can bloom even when the weather begins to cool. Some of the same flowers that thrive in cool spring weather before struggling in the summer heat can also bloom in fall and possibly even winter. Sweet alyssums (Lobularia maritima), with their charming little blossoms and pleasant fragrance, can be excellent options for cool-weather bedding plants. To ensure your sweet alyssums bloom as long as possible, plant them in a sunny and well-draining spot and provide them with fertilizer for flowering plants, like Proven Winners' Premium Water Soluble Plant Food, using the package instructions. If you live in an area that gets hard frost, you'll also need to provide your alyssums some protection if you want them to last all winter.

Alyssums are excellent annuals for large segments of North America; however, in parts of California, the plants behave as perennials and can even become invasive, escaping from gardens and outcompeting native plants. Gardeners in California should, therefore, opt for growing native or noninvasive flowers for their winter garden instead of planting sweet alyssums. For gardeners in the rest of North America, sweet alyssums can be an excellent way to attract songbirds and bring bees to your yard. However, in those areas, it's important to be aware that sweet alyssum flowers do self-seed readily.

You can purchase sweet alyssums either as seeds or as young plants, depending on the specific cultivar you prefer. Regardless of whether they are purchased as live plants or started as seeds, be sure to locate your alyssums in an area with at least part, if not full, sun. Remember, too, that the sun's path is lower in the sky during winter months. So, areas in your yard that are sunny during summer may be shadier in winter. On the other hand, many trees lose their leaves in winter, turning previously shady areas into sunnier ones. Therefore, you should put careful thought into locating the best spot in your garden to plant sweet alyssum in winter. 

Sweet alyssums benefit from regular fertilizing and watering, though they are prone to rotting if they aren't located in well-draining soil. Because sweet alyssums don't tolerate hard frosts, gardeners in zones that experience low temperatures may need to locate their alyssums in a protected area if they expect them to survive into, or even through, the winter.