The other day I was reflecting on what plants I grew as a kid. I have always had a garden and I have a few very vivid memories of some of the plants that I grew. My parents had a very hands off approach to my gardens. They allowed me to plant and design my space any way I pleased. I do not know if they ever checked on the plants and watered while I was at school but I felt it was totally up to me on what to grow, where and how. One of these vivid memories is that I made a wooden pot to fit inside of my red wagon. I filled that wooden pot with regular soil and planted an entire packet of sweet basil seed. It grew into one of the prettiest basil pots I have ever grown and I remember pulling my basil wagon everywhere. Another vivid gardening memory is alyssum. I don’t remember any elaborate wagons or hand-made pots for my alyssum plants but I remember always picking out a six-pack of alyssum at the nursery. Alyssum has always been a must have in the garden for me. Not to age myself too much but I have been growing this beautiful little flower for many years! So doing what I enjoy and curious as to whether alyssum has any interesting history or stories with it, I began to look-up and read more about this fascinating little plant.
The Meaning of Alyssum
The latin translation for alyssum is “alysson” which comes from the greek word “alusson.” The ancient Greek meaning of alyssum translates “a” meaning “without” and “lussa” meaning “rabies” translating to “without rabies.” Alyssum was once used in ancient times to treat those, canine and human, who were infected with rabies.
Dioscorides was a Greek physician, pharmacist and botanist during Roman times. His medical treatise is the first to refer to using alyssum to cure dogs that had been bitten by the madness. He writes that to cure dogs from madness was by feeding them alyssum.
Today, alyssum loosely translates into “without madness” because of its connection to witchcraft. It was felt that alyssum could deflect evil spells and if you wore alyssum it would help promote calmness and avoid anger.
The Victorians translated alyssum to mean “worth beyond beauty” or “sweetness of the soul.”
Interesting Facts About Alyssum
The first interesting fact I discovered about alyssum really shocked me, it is a member of the brassicaceae family and is edible! Okay, that is two facts but I had no idea that alyssum is in the same family as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc. I would not recommend running out and giving your alyssum a taste test because if it came from a nursery you have no idea what pesticides or fertilizers have been applied to it. From what I read, alyssum has a strong peppery flavor.
The next interesting fact that I discovered about alyssum is that it is commonly used in Spain as an antiscorbutic and diuretic and is highly valued as an astringent in the treatment of gonorrhea.
Other medical uses for alyssum include:
- the treatment for scurvy, colds, abdominal pain, coughs, edema and ascites.
- helps aid in pain relief and bleeding gums.
- helps with managing disorders associated with retaining fluids by eliminating excess water in the body and supporting the kidneys.
Alyssum is believed to be native to the Mediterranean region, Southern Europe, Northern Africa and the Canary Islands. It was first cultivated in Spain during the 16th century and spread along trade routes by the 1800’s. It quickly became a garden favorite and followed colonists to North and South America. Today, alyssum is such a profuse grower that California and Hawaii have labeled it as an invasive species.
How to Care for Alyssum
Alyssum is easy to grow and care for. Like I mentioned before, I grew this lovely plant as a kid and had great success with it. I would recommend it for beginner gardeners, kids and all of us in between.
Alyssum is drought tolerant, heat tolerant, soil tolerant and blooms pretty much non-stop. It does slow a bit in the heat of summer but quickly bounces back after it cools down a little. There really aren’t enough good things to say about alyssum. There is no need to dead-head alyssum but sometimes the plant does get a little leggy and then I like to reshape the entire plant to promote new growth and flowers.
Alyssum does not require a lot of fertilizer and most of the time I completely forget to fertilize and my plants still perform really well. If you decide to fertilize, all you will need to use is an all purpose fertilizer.
Useful Ways to Plant Alyssum
Alyssum is a popular plant to use for companion planting. It is a great companion plant for a few different reasons. Firstly, alyssum is very pollinator friendly. Planting alyssum around the vegetable garden will help attract the useful pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds but alyssum also attracts three types of beneficial predatory insects. Predator insects are insects that eat pest insects in the garden.
The three types of predatory insects are:
- Minute pirate bugs – they eat aphids, thrips, mites, psyllids and insect eggs.
- Parasitic wasps – they lay their eggs in other insects.
- Hover flies – their larvae eat aphids.
Having alyssum around in the garden is very helpful in controlling the pest insects in the garden and keeping the beneficial insects fed and happy.
Alyssum acts as a living mulch by providing shade for surrounding plants. Planting alyssum under your plants will help cool the soil, retain moisture and provide a host for beneficial soil microbes. Alyssums roots are shallow and will not compete for nutrients with other deeper rooted plants.
Propagating Alyssum
Alyssum is very easy to propagate. If you leave the plant to seed on its own, it will happily self seed itself. You can start alyssum seed on your own by direct sowing or starting in propagation trays. Just remember that alyssum seeds need light to germinate. Lightly cover the seed with soil or not at all. I prefer not to cover the seed with soil. When propagating in the house, I just carefully cover the seed tray with plastic wrap just to retain moisture and then remove it once the seed has sprouted.
In my zone, 8b in the high desert of California, I can pretty much start alyssum seed anytime of the year. The best time for most would be in the spring. I have started some in late summer and had great success with the plants growing through the winter.
If you are going to direct sow the seed, make sure the danger of frost has passed. Young alyssum plants can handle a light frost but a heavy or severe frost may slow germination and damage young plants. I like to lightly cultivate the soil, sprinkle the seeds and then lightly press down on the soil. This helps the seed make good contact with the soil.
Quick Facts:
| Plant Type | Perennial in zones 8-11 Annual in zones 5-7 |
| Mature Size | 4” – 6” tall and 6” – 9” wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun, partial shade |
| Soil Type | Water regularly but can handle drying out in between. Does not like soggy soil and will rot. |
| Bloom Time | Year round |
| Flower Color | White, purple, pink and yellow |
| Flower Shape | Tiny, fragrant clusters |
| Pollinator Friendly | Yes |
| Cold Hardiness Zones | 5-11, generally hardy to 20 degrees F |
| Drought-Tolerant | Yes |
| Propagate | Seeds or cuttings |
| Unique Characteristics | Easily re-seeds on its own |
I hope you have enjoyed reading about alyssum and decide to add it to your garden. I love this plant and will always have a spot for it in my garden.
Happy desert gardening!
Joy Simper has a full time job as a home schooling stay at home mom. She is the one that holds the house and yard together and keeps the kids in line. She enjoys gardening, including seed starting and propagating plants.