Alyssum
A fast, easy-care groundcover that starts flowering about 2 months after sowing and keeps going for months. Its shallow roots dry out quickly, so it needs more frequent watering than its tough reputation suggests, especially in pots and hanging baskets.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 30cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 10cm
- Flowering season
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: August-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: September-November. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September-October.
Growing stages
Germination & planting
- Fast and easy from seed; sow direct into a full-sun spot
- Space plants around 30cm apart to let the groundcover spread
Establishment
- Shallow roots dry out quickly, so water more often than its tough reputation suggests
- Pay particular attention to pots and hanging baskets, which dry out fastest
Vegetative growth
- Spreads quickly into a low, dense groundcover once established
- Keep an eye on soil moisture in containers through warm weather
FloweringFrom around 2 months after sowing, for months on end
- Starts flowering about 2 months after sowing and keeps going for months
- Consistent watering, especially in baskets and pots, keeps flowering from stalling