Sweet Alyssum

Another of my very favorite companion plants is sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Plants are so easy to grow from seed, and the tiny flowers are a magnet for beneficials. I sprinkle seeds around my vegetables and find that they are a great friend to all of them. I prefer the white varieties like Snow Crystals or Carpet of Snow for the vegetable garden. Oh, yes...and they smell delicately sweet. They cannot survive a hard frost. My garden alyssum does best in mild weather--that is, the warm days of spring and fall. I have noticed that the plants tend sulk in the hot, humid days of our North Carolina summers. They're drought-tolerant, very quick to blooms, and are just an absolute joy to have growing among the veggies in the kitchen garden.