Description of alyssum varieties, planting, cultivation and care in open ground

Issues of caring for and planting alyssum are of interest to beginners and experienced gardeners. This plant is attractive for its variety of colors, long flowering, simple farming techniques and aroma. Its smell is hard to forget. It is very refined and subtle. The alyssum flower bed attracts bees to the orchard, which affects the harvest. The quality of pollination of apple trees, pears, and stone fruit crops increases.

Description

Alyssum has other names. Many gardeners know it as alyssum or mason. This is a genus of ground cover plants of the Cruciferous family. It contains at least 100 species. There are frost-resistant perennial varieties and more heat-loving varieties that are grown as annuals.

The plant is low-growing, ground cover, the length of branched shoots is 10-40 cm. The root is fibrous. The lower part of the branches becomes woody over time. The young shoots are covered with light fluff. The leaves are alternate, obovate, without petioles.

The bottom of the leaf blades is covered with gray or silver fibers. Inflorescences form at the end of May on the tips of the shoots. The calyx of the flower is formed by 4 petals. The coloring can be very different. In Alyssum culture there are:

• white;
• pink;
• lilac;
• yellow;
• lilac;
• violet.

The flowering period lasts all summer. The fragrant flower attracts bees to the garden.By the end of summer, seed pods form in place of the pollinated flowers. The seeds are brown and small. Annual species have a longer flowering period.

Types of flowers

There are at least 200 species of this plant. All varieties are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and long flowering period.

Ordinary

The variety is grown as a perennial plant. The stems are short (10 cm), creeping, covered with gray-green oval leaves. At the ends of the shoots, apical shoots are formed, consisting of many yellow four-petal flowers.

Iberian

This is a dwarf herbaceous species, native to the Iberian Peninsula. The length of the shoots is 20 cm. The shape of the leaves is oval. They are fleshy, covered with down, and have a bluish tint. The flowers are white and bloom in summer.

Variegated

Landscape designers love to include this variety in garden compositions. Its varieties are considered the most beautiful. The plant is perennial. The length of the shoots is 5-30 cm. The diameter of the spherical inflorescences is 25 cm. The color of the flowers is yellow.

Crooked-stemmed

Dwarf perennial. The length of thin shoots does not exceed 6 cm. They are covered with oval gray-green leaves. The inflorescences are small in size and yellow in color.

Alyssum

The stems are gray, woody below, reach 40 cm in length, and are covered with light down.

Dagestan

The shoots are 25 cm long, densely covered with narrow linear and spatulate leaves. The shape of the inflorescences is umbrella-shaped, the color of the flowers is fawn.

Nautical

In temperate climates, this heat-loving species of alyssum is grown as an annual plant. The stems are creeping, rigid, short (20 cm), silvery due to pubescence. Flowering begins in June. The color of the inflorescences of varietal varieties is varied:

• white;
• pink;
• lilac;
• purple.

Marine alyssum, growing in natural conditions, has white, lilac, white-lilac flowers.

Creeping

Under natural conditions, the perennial species is found in mountainous and steppe regions of Eastern and Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. Bushes 40-60 cm high are covered with gray-green leaves. At the bottom they form a rosette. The inflorescences are elongated and consist of bright yellow flowers.

Mountain

Perennial frost-resistant variety. Begins to bloom at the end of April. The shoots are creeping, 20 cm long. The leaves look gray due to strong pubescence. The inflorescences are fragrant, bright yellow.

Ampelny

A spectacular plant with long, highly branching shoots. During flowering, it fills the air with a rich aroma. Varieties of ampelous alyssum are grown in flowerpots.

Silver

The tallest variety of alyssum. The length of the shoots reaches 80 cm. Flowering lasts 2-2.5 months. Starts in May and ends in July. The species was called silver because of its small leaves - green above, bluish-ashy below.

Rocky

Bushes with a diameter of up to 40 cm form highly branching shoots up to 30 cm long. The plant is perennial. To maintain decorativeness, it needs anti-aging pruning. Over time, the lower part of the branches becomes bare.

Honey

Perennial about 25 cm high. Shoots are highly branched. The bushes are hemispherical. The leaves are elongated and form dense rosettes. Inflorescences are racemose, dense. The flowers are yellow and small. The flowering period lasts 1.5 months.

Popular varieties

Varieties obtained from rock and sea alyssum are popular among flower growers. The bushes have different sizes and colors of inflorescences.

Snow carpet

Spectacular snow-white inflorescences form large (10 mm) flowers.The variety prefers sunny places and can grow on rocky slopes.

Pink Queen

Flowering low bushes (10-20 cm) form colorful mats in delicate pink and purple shades. The variety is planted along paths and decorates rocky slopes.

Wonderland

The flowers are small, carmine pink. The bushes are neat, about 10 cm high. The plant is grown in pots and used to decorate borders.

Gold placer

A creeping variety of alyssum. Rocky gardens are decorated with bright yellow inflorescences. Flowering bushes have a spherical shape.

Magic circles

The shoots are grayish-green, 15 cm long. The inflorescences are light yellow, fragrant.

Tiny Tim

The length of the shoots does not exceed 8 cm. During flowering, the dwarf bushes resemble sea foam. They are strewn with numerous snow-white flowers.

Easter Bonnet Deep Rose

A variety belonging to the marine variety of alyssum. The name translates to purple Easter hat. During prolonged flowering, the bushes are strewn with lush, bright pink inflorescences.

Princess in Purple

Ampelous plant. Inflorescences are purple. When grown on a flat surface, the flowers form a continuous, bright carpet. The variety looks even more amazing in a pot. Long, flower-covered shoots resemble a waterfall.

Violet Konigin

The variety was called the Purple Queen because of the color of the raceme inflorescences. The bushes are low (15 cm), neat, shaped like a ball.

Palette

The bushes are low, the stems are 10 cm long. The colors of the flowers are very different: brown, crimson, yellow, red, white.

Pink rug

The shoots are 12 cm long. There are many of them in the bush. During flowering they form a continuous purple carpet.

Big Jam

The flowers are large white, lavender, purple or light lilac. The length of the stems is 35 cm.

Compactum

Alyssum rocky. The bushes are low (18 cm), covered with bright yellow inflorescences.

Citrinum

Rock alyssum variety, pale yellow inflorescences.

Fiore Rieno

Rock alyssum variety, golden yellow inflorescences.

golden wave

Grown as a perennial flower crop. The first flowering occurs in the 2nd year after planting. The inflorescences are golden yellow. The length of the shoots is 25 cm, the diameter of the bush is 40 cm.

Plenum

The inflorescences are double, bright yellow.

Easter hat

This is a series. It includes early flowering low-growing (10-20 cm) varieties. The range of colors is wide. The colors are rich. The inflorescences are large and remain decorative for a long time.

Giga

A fast-growing variety with highly branching stems and large inflorescences.

Aphrodite

A variety of rock alyssum. Prefers openwork partial shade in the middle of the day, fertile soil, moderate watering. The bushes are low, the inflorescences are purple. For abundant and long-lasting flowering, they are fed with complex fertilizers.

Growing from seeds

Alyssum seeds are very small. Perennial varieties are sown directly into the ground before winter or spring. Annual varieties are often grown by seedlings.

Through seedlings

Alyssum seedlings bloom at the appropriate time for the variety (March, April). It is convenient to use when creating garden compositions.

Soil preparation

Alyssum seedlings are small, so shallow containers made of transparent plastic with a lid are used for planting. The soil is light and nutritious. There should be a mark on the packaging that it is neutral.

Selecting a location

Any window will do, as long as there is an LED lamp. The seedlings will have to be illuminated. The lamp is placed low, 15-20 cm from the seedlings.

How to drop off

It is easier to sow alyssum in a row, so shallow grooves are marked on the surface of the soil.They are made at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. The seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. The soil is moistened with a sprayer.

Seedling care

Before sprouting, the container is tightly covered with a lid or a piece of cling film. Once every 2 days, open slightly for ventilation to prevent mold from forming on the soil. At room temperature 18-20 °C, small shoots appear on the 5th day.

Watering

The soil is moistened carefully. The seedlings are very tender and small. They are all watered differently:

• syringe;
• teaspoon;
• small rubber bulb.

Temperature

Within a week after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are illuminated around the clock. The temperature is reduced to 18-20 °C.

Picking

Seedlings are picked 1-2 times. For a one-time transplant, seedlings in the 2-leaf phase are immediately planted in separate cups. When picking twice, they are first transplanted into a common box, and after 2 weeks - into separate containers. Seedlings transplanted twice bloom faster.

How to plant in open ground

One-month-old seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place using the transshipment method. The site is chosen in the sun or partial shade. Plant in shallow holes at a distance of 30-40 cm. The bushes are watered. In hot weather, cover them from the sun during the first days.

Sowing in open ground

Perennial varieties of alyssum are propagated by direct planting of seeds in the ground. Sowing is carried out when the soil warms up and the daytime temperature does not fall below 15 °C.

Deadlines

Sowing time depends on the climate zone. In the middle zone, seeds are sown at the end of April, in Siberia - from May 1 to May 15. Shoots appear in a week. The inflorescences bloom after 2 months. Flowering lasts until autumn.

Planting scheme

The soil is dug up before planting. Knead the lumps. They make grooves. They spill them generously. The seeds are distributed evenly.Sprinkle them with a mixture of garden soil, peat, sand, humus, taken in equal proportions.

Before the shoots appear, the flowerbed is covered with film. When planting high-quality seeds, seedlings appear within a week. Inflorescences form after 2 months. The seedlings are thinned out, taking into account varietal characteristics. The distance between bushes should be 20 cm.

How to care properly

Caring for blooming alyssum is a pleasure. It takes a little time and is not very complicated.

Watering

The duration and intensity of flowering depend on watering. With a lack of moisture, few flowers and many leaves are formed. The decorative value of the bushes is reduced. To prevent this, the soil is moistened regularly, but moderately. With the correct irrigation scheme, the soil at a depth of 4 cm is always moist.

Loosening and weeding

Removal of weeds is carried out simultaneously with loosening the top layer of soil. Do this after rain or regular watering.

Trimming

In spring, diseased and dry shoots are removed from perennials. Summer pruning has 3 purposes. With its help, the decorative appearance of bushes is restored. Stimulates flowering. Prevents powdery mildew disease.

The procedure involves removing inflorescences that have lost their decorative appearance, pruning shoots to 7-10 cm. In varieties of rock alyssum, they are shortened by ⅓ of the length. Bushes pruned after flowering form new inflorescences.

Top dressing

If the soil is fertile, fertilizing is carried out once in the spring. Stimulate the growth of vegetative mass with nitrogen fertilizer. Urea and Agricola-7 flower fertilizer are used. Add 1 tbsp to each bucket of water. l.

To increase its decorative effect during the flowering period, alyssum is fed twice with nitroammophos or Master fertilizer with the formula NPK 16:16:16 (10 l of water, 10 g of fertilizer).The interval between fertilizing is 10-14 days.

Nuances

There are no special nuances in growing alyssum. Ground cover bushes planted in a sunny corner of the garden bloom profusely all summer. Under unfavorable weather conditions, plant development may stop. With the help of a simple technique they are reanimated, and flowering resumes.

How to prolong flowering

Alyssum bushes, weakened by heat and drought, are being revived. First, water, then cut out some of the shoots. Leave 5-6 pieces per bush. Prepare liquid fertilizer:

• water - 10 l;
• urea - 1 tbsp. l.;
• "Agricola-7" - 1 tbsp. l.

After restoration measures, the flowering of alyssum resumes and lasts until frost.

Features of winter planting

Winter hardiness of perennials is average. To protect against frost, alyssum bushes are covered with fallen leaves for the winter. In winter, snow is thrown onto the flowerbed.

Diseases and pests

With good care, alyssum rarely gets sick. Outbreaks of brown rot (late blight) occur when watering rules are violated. Active reproduction of the fungus is caused by increased soil and air humidity. First, signs of rotting appear in the lower part of the shoots, then the plant dries out.

Diseased alissum bushes are treated with fungicides. To prevent the spread of infection, sick and healthy plants are treated. The drugs Kuproksat and Ordan are used. Stop watering for a while.

When there is an excess of nitrogen in the soil and a large difference in daily temperatures, a white coating appears on the leaves. This is a symptom of powdery mildew. Infected shoots stop growing and turn black. The fungus is dealt with using the drugs “Fitosporin-M” and “Fundazol”.

Cruciferous flea

At the beginning of June, alyssum plantings suffer from an invasion of cruciferous flea beetle.This is a small black insect that parasitizes plants of the Cruciferous family. Pests are repelled by strong-smelling infusions. Garlic, wormwood, and shag are used to prepare them.

Insecticides used:

• "Aktara";
• "Aktellik";
• "Taboo".

Chemistry is used in extreme cases. The drugs listed above are toxic to bees, and alyssum is a honey plant.

Caterpillars

Alyssum bushes are treated with infusions of tobacco or chamomile to prevent gnawing insects. For better adhesion, liquid soap is added to them.

Cabbage moth and whiteweed

To repel butterflies, the drugs “Entobacterin” and “Lepidotsid” are used.

Reproduction

Alyssum is propagated by seeds and vegetatively.

Cuttings

Rooting of cuttings is done in the summer. Prepare a small ridge and fill it with fertile soil. 10 cm long apical cuttings are planted. They are protected from the sun for the first week. Care consists of regular watering.

Dividing the bush

This vegetative propagation method is rarely used in practice. The bush is dug up in the fall. Place it in a container. Store in the cellar until spring. With the onset of warm days, they divide it into several parts. At least 4 shoots are left in each division. Planted in the flowerbed on the same day.

Collecting seeds

The seeds ripen at the end of September. Dry inflorescences must be collected from healthy plants before October. Seeds are dried in a warm room before being sent for storage.

Prevention

Removing weeds and regular, moderate watering prevent fungal diseases. Protect against insects by spraying with tobacco infusion.

Combinations with other colors

In the garden, alyssum harmoniously combines with flower plants.Large flowers of irises, peonies, and lilies look advantageous against its background.

Heliotrope

Heliotrope loves the sun, blooms all summer, does not like tall neighbors. Low-growing varieties of alyssum serve as a good addition to it when decorating borders.

Turkish cloves

Carnation is a perennial plant that loves bright light and moderate watering. The color of the inflorescences is monochromatic or variegated. Harmonious compositions are obtained from Turkish cloves and alyssum.

Pelargonium

Pelargonium, like all varieties of alyssum, blooms all summer. Its bright green leaves and inflorescences look impressive against the background of a snow-white, purple or lilac carpet of a flowering ground cover plant.

Usage

A ground cover flowering plant is used to create expressive compositions. A dense flowering carpet of white, yellow, and lilac colors serves as a background for taller ornamental plants.

Landscape design

Easy care and long flowering are qualities that gardeners value. Alyssum is often used to create a background.

Alpine coaster

For alpine hills, perennial varieties of mountain, rock, and prickly alyssum are selected. Medium-sized varieties with a height of 12-25 cm are suitable.

Rocky areas

Perennial varieties are planted. The ground cover plant goes well with large boulders and small pebbles. Against the backdrop of silver foliage, the texture of the stones is fully revealed.

Mixborders

With the help of low-growing species, they create a dense texture reminiscent of a carpet. To create ornaments, varieties with inflorescences of different shades are used. Mixborders decorated in yellow are especially expressive.

Garden walls

Hanging varieties are used to decorate supporting walls.The flowering plant gives the ensemble a natural, noble look. Silver-green shoots transform an ordinary wall into a unique object.

Flower arrangements

The variety of colors makes it easier to create harmonious flower arrangements. The inflorescences of the ground cover plant are well shaded by bushes of roses, dahlias, phlox, and lilies. In containers it goes well with zonal pelargonium. In borders and flower beds, alyssum is planted next to marigolds and snapdragons.

Smell

The honey aroma of the inflorescences attracts bees, wasps, and bumblebees. They pollinate fruit and berry crops, which increases the productivity of the garden. Varieties with white inflorescences have a stronger smell.

Medicinal properties

Alyssum has diaphoretic, diuretic and analgesic properties. The inflorescences are used for constipation. It contains organic acids and flavonoids. At high temperatures drink the infusion:

• boiling water - 250 ml;
• dry, crushed alyssum inflorescences - 1 tsp.

Answers on questions

To preserve perennial varieties in winter, they are covered with fallen leaves. Rock alyssum varieties are easier to grow in warm climates. This species tolerates low temperatures less well.

Rare varieties of alyssum can be cut from June to July. The apical shoots take root within 3 weeks. They are planted in a light substrate. Greenhouse conditions are created using a transparent shelter.

Reviews

Elvira, 41 years old, Krasnodar: “I sow alyssum seeds into tablets. Shoots appear on the 5th day. After 10-12 days, I plant the alissum seedlings in separate bowls. They are small, so I replant several at a time. I put the seedlings under the lamp. I water it moderately. In April I move it to the greenhouse.”

Anna, 48 years old, Tolyatti: “I grew Alyssum as seedlings. After transplanting to the flowerbed, all the bushes were eaten by the cruciferous flea beetle.They came to life by the end of August and bloomed.”

Natalya, 30 years old, Moscow region: “I plant varieties with white and lilac inflorescences. I keep the seedlings in the greenhouse until May, then transplant them into the flowerbed. Alyssum blooms all summer. Smells amazing."