Sweet Alyssum: The Companion Plant You're Probably Not Growing

[@epicgardening]

FYI we have a gardening blog with 900+ in depth guides, including alyssum: www.epicgardening.com/alyssum/

[@lemonfiend108]

Don't forget the Discord, join nearly 8,300 other gardeners! discord.gg/epicgardening

[@MrGRockin]

900 isn't enough. You need more. 😉

[@murfy6189]

I miss bobka

[@Lazydaisy646]

my grandmothers garden was FULL of alyssum, I always think of her when I see it. Sweet Alice

[@gayrogers3323]

My grandparents’ front yard was terraced, and the terraces were covered in alyssum. Best and vivid childhood memories!

[@BritInvLvr]

Same here. I miss my Grandma Alice.

[@Buffy13131]

It always makes me think of my Gramma too! She used to call it “Queen Anne’s Lace.” I thought that was what it was called until this week!

[@suzycreamcheeze000]

@@Buffy13131 I think Queen Anne's Lace is something else...I always thought it was that flower/weed that looks Iike one of them Giant Hog Weeds but way smaller.

[@tortron]

@@suzycreamcheeze000 yup that's it

[@SpanishEclectic]

I planted white alyssum years ago, and every year it comes back from re-seeding. It can get old and woody underneath, so I'll pull it out, and cut it up, then sprinkle the dried top bits over empty pots, and after some water I have more. That and my red nasturtiums are like old friends.

[@anekinoo7]

My must have is lavenders. They attract so much pollinators. 🐝 love them

[@Ryanrulesok]

Not every likes the smell of lavender unfortunately 😔

[@trishdavi7049]

@@Ryanrulesok lavender relative lavendine does not smell as strong but can look prettier

[@1Lightdancer]

Cat mint is a great one to add, pollinators love its longer bloom period (right up to frost) and its a sweet addition to teas.

[@epidgegg]

Finally found a use for my mistakenly purchased 1 gallon grow bags! Sowed sweet alyssum and have transplanted into the gallon grow bags where I hang them on the ugly t-post fencing! Ta Da! Cover up an ugly fence, save space and help out tomatoes!

[@epicgardening]

There you go!

[@monikasturm2575]

Oh thank you! Saw a bunch of these sad little babies in clearance at my local Lowes. Going tomorrow to save them and give them a home they can thrive in. Building up my pollinator garden.

[@mattdill1219]

Shoutout to marigolds as another fantastic companion for those tomatoes.

[@ticaj]

I just started Alyssum seeds 2 days ago, and they're germinating, this will be my first time growing them

[@epicgardening]

Wonderful!

[@beautybygreg2601]

I have the dark purple and white varieties and they hybridized themselves to a white one with a purple center that pops up literally everywhere. Even in cracks in the sidewalk I’m not mad about it though. They look really pretty with Halloween pansies.

[@sagepremoe1565]

Nice to know they are so hardy...I need hardy plants for my soil.

[@uncreativenessatitsfinest4968]

dudes gonna make a new cultivar... thats pretty nice

[@mtak1127]

I have grown it for years and it was my mom's favorite flower. I have never had it get out of control. The smell is just the most beautiful smell. LOVE it.

[@jokappel2430]

I grew up with these in my grandparents gardens in England, my gran called them granny caps because they reminded her of the nightcaps women wore for bed. These and night scented stocks and carnations that actually smell like carnations are my favorite things to have in the garden

[@generalsmedleybutler340]

A patch of sweet alyssum has survived for many years without watering in my backyard in the Bay Area California so anyone in a similar climate could try that as well.

[@danieldow3094]

Really a big fan of allysum. Another mildly spready, but particularly great pollinator/beneficial plant is yarrow, easily accessible in white yellow reds and pinks, tolerates a lot of conditions, and it's perennial.

[@thatsalt1560]

@A R Yes!

[@twobluestripes]

It’s lovely in a wild flower type border or cottagey space! We have a couple native Californian yarrows as well.

[@Arcticdi]

And Yarrow is medicinal! Makes the best salve for all those gardening nicks, cuts, scrapes.

[@1Lightdancer]

Yes - I love my Yarrow!! It does bring a sweet cottage garden look, and is lovely to add a few flowers or ferny leaves to tea 🍵

[@lisakruger5289]

My yarrow is 3 or 4 years old now and just gets more and more beautiful every year. I agree, it's a great plant for sure!

[@borracho-joe7255]

Alyssum is my favorite flower. I love a full bed of it. Thanks for featuring it!

[@riacaasi5259]

I saw you mention Alyssum in one of your other videos and I went straight out and bought some. I love it! And so do the pollinators 🐝

[@A1BASE]

I did the same, although they didn't seem to like being transplanted - I lost about a third.

[@epicgardening]

Glad to hear this!

[@trishdavi7049]

Inspirational!

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

I have planted Royal Carpet and I am excited that it already popped up a little in Zone 8a in Lynden, WA! I may plant another round on my lunch break 😎

[@annalisasmith8066]

I have had great success with Alyssum this year. I established my plants early in fall and I am surprised they are still hanging on in the Florida June heat!

[@sweetpeanmolly]

I live in South Western Pennsylvania and grow this every year! The scent is so beautiful! You can smell it at night if planted near your windows!

[@Ma1ingo]

My first year growing anything from seed, the Alyssum was my first to bloom and is shooting up in size in my Michigan garden. Very easy to grow for me and the smell is so good. Planted all round my tomatoes, peppers and cukes.

[@evoltnvii]

Started growing this and nasturtium for the first time this year after learning about them on your channel and we are in love with them. Nice that they grow well here in 5a southern Wisconsin.

[@eileenwineinger3173]

Hi Kevin we love sweet alyssum! . My mom has grown it in her garden in very Sandy and dry soil for 40+ year as.. And she often puts it in her posies. I don't know if you cut flowers but for those that like to cut a little something from the garden and put it together in a little vase or pitcher on the table,sweet alyssum is awesome. You just strip with your fingers the lower bits of the leaves and bunch it up in the vase with some Johnny -jump- ups or roses or calendula or just about anything that will go well in a vase and it has that honey- scent to your room.

[@epicgardening]

That's awesome!!! Great idea

[@LIMABN]

Underrated plant! It reseeds here in western MT. I treat myself to a new 6 pack every 3-5 years when it gets leggy. A cell start spreads to 10" circle & great late season pollinator.

[@thesimps6092]

The way you appeared while holding the cat was so cutee XD Thank you for the information! The flowers look amazing

[@rockyusa2012]

I planted this in several smartpots. The scent is great and pretty to look at. 🌼👏

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Alyssum is a great tip, and I will pass on mine for eliminating fire ants. Spread a light coating of tapioca flour around the nest and anywhere you see them and on top of the nest. I don't think it will hurt anything else. It's certainly better than poisonous pesticides.

[@sherylwhited7380]

It smells great! And I always plant it in the tomato beds because it’s a great trap crop for harlequin bugs.

[@heidibartle2241]

I planted it amongst my onions and other raised beds this year

[@Demebeso714]

Sometimes I think we're one person.. I luv these and bought many packs of seeds last weekend.. planted them .. took a deep breath and began waiting day by day for them to come into my life ... Epic!!!!!!

[@hossenfeffer8383]

I am growing alyssum in between my strawberry plants this season. After watching your video, I think I will plan to have alyssum interplanted with my vegetables next season. Heavenly fragrance. Very evocative of my aunties’ and my mom’s gardens.

[@tinagoodpaster787]

What kind of allysum do you recommend for planting in with strawberries?

[@Carmen-ok]

I have the blushing princes and the violet knight sweet alyssums from Proven Winners, they grow beautifully 🌸

[@KiraiBK]

Mine comes back more and more every year. I live in zone 6b. I’ve been able to transplant clumps of it around my garden to keep companion plants all around my garden. Mine did grow in my wood chip covered walkways in my garden as it rooted in the broken down chips on the bottom.

[@anthonyshea5946]

I use royal carpet in my garden. Gotta be careful, this stuff spread…. like a carpet. Loved the beneficial insects it brought in.

[@tamararoberts9307]

Wow, I've been growing sweet alyssum for many years and didn't know it was edible 😳

[@darinbennett3638]

Kevin, I have seen you a couple of times on the Magnolia Workshops! Congratulations on working with Magnolia and sharing your knowledge and insights through that medium.

[@epicgardening]

Thank you so much!!!

[@slvice14]

!!! IT"S EDIBLE!!!! Look at that, ya really do learn something new every day. Thanks as always for posting this. I didn't know it was so good for everything in the garden. I always planted it because it was pretty, having NO clue it was far more useful.

[@linpulver2106]

Here in the UK I've only come across the low growing white alyssum called Little Dorrit which we have to grow as an annual. It used to be popular in municipal bedding schemes with red salvia and blue lobelia to make a patriotic patch! My father absolutely loathed the smell of it but he also hated the smell of hyacinths. Wonder if it's like cilantro love/hate thing.

[@vegemitegirl1971]

We always grow alyssum. It's now a volunteer plant as we let it go to seed. Alyssum thrives here, on the Australian coast with a Mediterranean climate. It's one of hubby's favourite flowers.

[@annaortiz2252]

I’ll have to see if alyssum grows well in our zone. They look very similar to lantanas which we grow each year. Thanks for the video Kevin!

[@BritInvLvr]

Yeah. I have some lantanas growing in my yard as well.

[@susank6267]

I agree completely about growing Alyssum! I grew it for the first time this year. It was super easy to start from seed. The pollinators love it. I will grow it every year from now on!

[@micaela6915]

This grows naturally in my garden in the Bay Area California. It is one of the plants that was already there when I moved there and I love it. So pretty flowers and don’t need any care.

[@Buffy13131]

I just bought some this week after I always hear Jáques mentioning it in these videos and I also read that it can attract the tachinid fly, which is apparently a predator to earwigs (which are the bane of my existence right now). So hopeful it will attract those beneficial insects! Thank you for these tips. I planted one in a pocket in my GreenStalk and now I will plant one at the edge of my tomato (we always end up with hornworms).

[@KHH595]

Tachinid flies also infect Monarch Butterfly caterpillars though.

[@ml.5377]

I have Lobularia maritima all over veggie beds and flower beds. Works great as living mulch. It looks gorgeous, insects love it and the color... It can hang or cover empty areas i beds. White, pink, melon and purple.

[@karijaneify]

I love alyssium! It does smell like honey, and it softens the look of any big plantings or continers.

[@k9spot1]

Yeaaaahs I’ve wanted this vid so bad! You’ve been dropping hints at this one for a hot sec now.

[@epicgardening]

;)

[@twobluestripes]

There’s a volunteer alyssum in the backyard of my parents’ new place in Orange County. We haven’t landscaped or gardened back there besides caring for the avocado tree. But there must have been some before, or in the container garden that the previous homeowner had right there, and there’s water supplied by the AC unit condensation tube that’s just tucked into the ground right there, so it periodically gets water (particularly when it’s hot) and seems very happy. It’s a mix of white and purple sections of it, and has died all the way back and then reappeared several times the last couple years!

[@rainnitsche3]

Weve has this in our oregon garden for 2 years now it smells wonderful and is just qll around great lady bugs love it!

[@RealBradMiller]

3:15 subconsciously I knew I wanted this variety, and couldn't figure out where I learned it from, saw it in the store and had to grab a few packets. It's going to keepnthe grass from infiltrating my flower beds, at least for spring and lart of summer!

[@scrotusmaximus3043]

In the Carolinas I use a wildflower seed mix in a few pots near my gardens, alongside lavender, butterfly bushes, and crepe Myrtle.

[@JennTN411]

I received ten crepe myrtles from the arbor day foundation, and I'm not sure where to plant them! They are in pots for now, do you have any suggestions? I'm in Illinois, midway and along interstate 70.

[@scrotusmaximus3043]

@@JennTN411 thats pretty north, they aren't to frost friendly. As much sun as you give em. Just keep them in bigger pots I say, all though if you prep for winter you should be okay. They like fertilizer, especially a bloom booster when you see the very first flowers.

[@JennTN411]

@@scrotusmaximus3043 I've used an Alaskan fish fertilizer once or twice for them, they seem to like it. In the beginning phase of getting a greenhouse up, so maybe those will be my winter residents 😆😆

[@justjenn9011]

I have alyssum with most of my plants. It seems like a good companion plant for everything that i have found. Anytime ive looked up companion plants its on the list usually. I just grow the white small variety. Its really a great companion plant.

[@BooksToAshes]

This year was my first year planting anything. I planted Alyssum and didn't know how to pinch plants. Ended up tossing all but one because they fell over completely from growing too tall with nothing on the sides. My last one was also not pinched, but it was a little bushier so I decided to keep it since it has lots of flowers. Guess I'll just have to help it stand up a bit, but I learned my lesson. Still gorgeous, smells amazing and a really pretty plant to have.

[@Erin-tk5jw]

I really like how you talk about where plants come from and how that affects how you take care of them. Very informative.

[@jcleaver2364]

So happy to see this video. Alyssum was one of my favorite flowers when I was little, but in recent years I've shied away from it because I heard it was invasive. I believe you mentioned some of it's benefits in one of your other recent videos, so I just planted some seeds this weekend! Looking forward to adding it to my raised beds 😊.

[@HurairaHerbals]

Thank you for sharing. I have a mediteranean style edible/herbal garden and I used to get annoyed by the "basicness" of alyssum (its grown in commercial plantings here down south, like knockout roses) not realizing its worth in the garden. Now that I know, I think i'll be on the lookout for some pretty varieties.

[@epicgardening]

Yeah seems people have bred interesting ones lately!

[@Gkrissy]

Nice video. I started growing this for the first time this year for the beneficial insects it attracts.

[@nancycowell-miller4321]

Great info - as always! I planted my alyssum in the middle of my tomato planter boxes (where they'll get buried in foliage). Hope it's not too late to move them (not blooming yet - guess8ng the roots *just* got settled in!). I'd rather have them draping outside the boxes. I think I'll transplant bunching green onions in the holes I expose from the Alyssum. Thanks for the timely update!

[@mr.howley]

Move them now but just give them a little bit of root booster/stimulator. You can always pot them and give them some shade to help rooting then replant. Hope this helps

[@stephaniehanuman-dale6279]

🤯 I didn’t know I could eat this🤣 It’s everywhere in my yard🤗

[@kltorvanger]

Love these flowers. Started growing them this year. White, purple-ish and pink-ish ones.

[@andreagoble5353]

I DID find a tomato horn worm in my tomatoes last year with those white "poofy" eggs on it. It freaked me out and I ran inside, got some soapy water and dumped it in😫. Now I know I should have probably let it hang out. I do put out sweet alyssum from seed in my garden but here in Maryland it seems to be an annual. We had a very good crop of tomatoes last year. Made sauces, stewed tomatoes and dehydrated peels to make a powder to sprinkle into recipes. Fingers crossed for this year.

[@ttb1513]

The hornworms I have seen with the many tiny white silky cocoons have always been immobilized at that stage. They stay in the same spot, same branch, for days. Basically dead. The parasitic wasp larvae ate their way out and spun their cocoons. Hopefully have plenty of the tiny wasps the next year, controlling the pests.

[@elivalentine452]

So much info thanks !!

[@crystalmasters8582]

Love it. Started growing it over 20 years ago smells so good!

[@chelseajones4141]

I've always loved this flower- it's a yearly must for me and so easy and pleasing to grow from seed. I love purple! I've never tried it, but I'm going to look for purple alyssum for next growing season.

[@beseggg]

you coming in with babka made me lol!!!!!!!!! happy growing

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

Awesome! I am going to buy some of this today.

[@Zar2244]

I've been growing Allysum for years. Very easy to manage. It only has one root and pulls up very easy if removing. The bees love it too. I haven't needed to plant this for years as it self-seeds itself year after year.

[@donnamcmanus7360]

We had it planted around a concrete pad for our trash cans and throughout our flower & veg gardens. I started seeds in pots near doors & windows just for the fragrance. Great performing in my NC zone 7.

[@cherryb5008]

I just planted allysum today thanks to your recommendation a few videos ago.

[@gardenstatesowandsew]

Thank you. This is my first year growing it. I love it

[@juselenascott6620]

Love sweet alyssum. Seriously always abundant in my garden

[@CandysGarden]

Any flower that's edible as well, is ALWAYS a plus😊😊

[@ericarogerslee7169]

So cool! I bought alyssum this year just because I liked the color, but will def be incorporating it more!

[@lookouthill11]

I adore this plant, the dark purple shades especially. It’s a perennial in my zone 9 and I have 4yr old plants doing really well. I mostly let the seeds travel all throughout my vegetable and flower garden and treat it as an annual as living mulch to keep the soil covered.

[@noname-ed6tj]

I'll have to look into growing this, they're so pretty!

[@MamaVee50]

Recently planted alyssum when I spotted some at the garden center. I had it years ago in my garden and loved it’s fragrance and easy care. 🌺

[@michelledouglas8913]

We love alyssum! Thanks for the info.

[@terracegardeningislamabad7814]

I have been growing it for years and the sweet scent is so lovely.

[@roxannelucky]

Needed to see this today - just bought the plant! Thanks so much :)

[@joycej9415]

I have planted the white and sometimes the pink or purple in my New Mexico garden since the 80's. It grows and reseed well. Any that come up where I don't want are super easy to pull out. I love how they cool the area and can take desert heat. They do well under my roses. One of my favorite plants. I just pull out end of season or wait till spring. Shake the plants over where you want and it will come up there. Easiest plant ever.

[@colossusX1]

I planted dwarf white alyssum under my peppers this year. Taking a while to come in from seed (haven’t flowered in about 40 days since sowing).

[@Mgraf06]

I love the sweet alyssum I put in my front flower beds, but the white cabbage caterpillars love it even more! They’ve devoured my plant.

[@epicgardening]

It's a brassica, so no surprise!

[@JessicaHolmes]

Thanks for the video! I just bought some seeds last week - time to get planting!

[@flowerpixel]

I have this all over my yard... it's beautiful 🥰

[@jbigfeather]

Never knew there were so many varieties of alyssum, learned a lot from this video.

[@f.n.schlub2269]

@Epic Gardening -- Bobka is beautiful. Bobka is well-tempered considering he is being moved around during the middle of the natural feline sleep period. Bobka also doesn't have a long rigid sternum like other species, so when he is picked up like that it compresses his lungs and heart. 2 questions ... What do you paint the insides of your metal beds to prevent Cadmium from leaching into your soil and plants? Have you considered painting the outsides with a high-reflectance coating to a) reduce bed skin temps, and b) increase UV availability ?

[@janedoe6708]

Oh, I love it! In our country you can see these flowers in every second flower bed 😊

[@moyse001]

Perfect timing! I picked one up when I found it at the garden ventre thanks to your recommendations

[@naegwut]

Love alyssum

[@JohnHenrySheridan]

Thanks Kevin and Jaque!

[@benjismith593]

They put this in wildflower seed mixes. This stuff is growing in shade, full sun, part shade , in my gardens. 90+ degree weather with little water. Sandy soil to potting type soil. Definitely buying more of just allysum seeds all over next year.

[@hibiscusangel7376]

They smelled so good!!

[@plantnewbie5188]

I grow a variety of Alyssum as a ground cover in a few areas. The bees and butterflies really love it. A small patch of it sustains an enormous amount of insect life.

[@evelynbryant5940]

I live in zone 6 and alyssum is an annual. Every year I leave the alyssum and it self seeds the next year. I thin it to space it and move the seedlings around if I want to put it some where else. It's easy to control and free! I even pot it up in seed trays and give it away. Been doing it for years.

[@mstnmz]

I thought everyone grew this! It's smells soooooo sweet, and attracts so many bees!

[@ajuliet1899]

Bees sting so that's a no for me.

[@brendamoon2660]

I plant this every year. It's a great filler in my bee and butterfly garden while my perinials are small

[@VeryJoable]

I had Sweet Alyssum growing in my front yard when my husband and I were first married. The honey sweet scent was so rich and strong that it would fill the house on days when we had the windows open. We also had it in pots around our veggie garden to attract pollinators. It’s not easy to find seeds for the sweet version in Central Texas, though.

[@MistSoalar]

our alyssum planter became a salad bar for finches. even when there's no flower, they come eat something on this plant.

[@bethsands7665]

I am an insect enthusiast and posted hundreds of photos in Bugguide . I am so glad that you are familiar with good and bad insects in the garden. Most people kill everything, sadly . Pleasant video, yay for Jaque ...not sure how to spell that awesome name.

[@daniellejeanette]

Planted different colors of Sweet Alyssum in my strawberry beds 🍓

[@X360DevNerd]

Great video! I was wondering, do you think gardening by moon phases works or helps? Like planting seeds before a full moon helps them germinate because the moon pulls water closer to the top layer, sorta like you get higher tides with the moon?

[@epicgardening]

I'll have to do a full review of that method!

[@charlie4753]

Astrology and astronomy are different, but using tarot cards as weed barrier is equally effective as normal cardboard

[@X360DevNerd]

@@epicgardening I will be looking forward to it :D

[@michaelmcclenon6663]

@@X360DevNerd I sure wont be

[@tjs114]

My backyard is small - maybe 20ft x 10ft and the entire thing is a carpet of different varieties of sweet alyssum started from about 6 of the old 25 cent seed envelopes when I moved here in 1989. It is a perfect weed/ground cover for those of us that are terrible a gardening. I use an old unpowered push mower to 'trim' it a couple of times a year. I've not watered in probably 10 years and that includes our 100+F drought conditions in the San Joaquin Valley.

[@jjohnston73]

“The larva of hoverflies also attracts aphids” - why is attracting aphids a good thing? Is this to attract them away from the companion plant and over to the Alyssum instead?

[@LofashSHI]

I think he meant to say hoverfly larva eats aphids.

[@epicgardening]

Was a flub, meant eat

[@jjohnston73]

Ah makes sense now. Thank you.