Sweet Alyssum Planting Guide

June

Growing sweet alyssum in June

This page is about sweet alyssum in general. For your zone's exact planting and harvest dates, pick your county below.

Sun full sun

Water low

Days to harvest 45–60

Spacing 6″

How to water sweet alyssum
Mulch heavily around sweet alyssum to hold soil moisture without watering more often.
Where to put sweet alyssum
sweet alyssum wants at least 6 hours of direct sun. Less than that and you'll get leggy plants with weak yields.
Check your local forecast before planting
Your zone determines the exact week to plant sweet alyssum. Pick your county below and we'll line everything up against your frost dates.

Get sweet alyssum planting dates for your county →

Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is a low-growing cool-season annual prized for its honey-scented clusters of tiny white, pink, or purple flowers. A workhorse border plant, it tolerates light frost, self-seeds readily, and attracts beneficial insects throughout its bloom season. In warm climates it often re-blooms in fall after summer heat fades.

Lobularia maritima · Flower · Brassicaceae family · 45–60 days to maturity

Annual Blooms in Spring Pollinator-friendly Deer-resistant Fragrant

Why it matters: If you're just starting a flower garden in your area, Sweet Alyssum is a forgiving first pick. It tolerates imperfect soil, mild drought, and the occasional missed watering. The reward: weeks (sometimes months) of continuous color.

Get Your Personalized Sweet Alyssum Planting Dates

Enter your ZIP code to see exact planting dates, soil compatibility, and growing tips specific to your county.

Where Can You Grow Sweet Alyssum?

Zone Compatibility for Sweet Alyssum Zones 3a – 11b

1a 1b 2a 2b 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b 11a 11b 12a 12b 13a 13b

Ideal (data available) Suitable Marginal Not recommended

Planting Dates by Zone

Zone	Start Indoors	Direct Sow	Transplant	Bloom
Zone 3a	Mar 20	May 15	May 15	Jun 26 – Aug 21
Zone 3b	Mar 15	May 10	May 10	Jun 21 – Aug 16
Zone 4a	Mar 11	Apr 29	May 6	Jun 17 – Aug 19
Zone 4b	Mar 13	Apr 24	May 1	Jun 12 – Aug 14
Zone 5a	Mar 7	Apr 11	Apr 25	Jun 6 – Aug 15
Zone 5b	Feb 28	Apr 4	Apr 18	May 30 – Aug 8
Zone 6a	Feb 20	Mar 20	Apr 10	May 22 – Jul 31
Zone 6b	Feb 20	Mar 13	Apr 3	May 15 – Jul 31
Zone 7a	Feb 11	Feb 25	Mar 25	May 6 – Jul 29
Zone 7b	Feb 4	Feb 18	Mar 18	Apr 29 – Aug 5
Zone 8a	Jan 25	Feb 1	Feb 22	Apr 5 – Jul 26
Zone 8b	Jan 14	Jan 14	Feb 4	Mar 18 – Jul 22
Zone 9a	—	Dec 16	Jan 13	Feb 17 – Jun 2
Zone 9b	—	Nov 23	Dec 21	Jan 25 – Apr 26
Zone 10a	—	Oct 23	Nov 20	Dec 18 – Mar 12
Zone 10b	—	Oct 16	Nov 13	Dec 11 – Mar 5
Zone 11a	—	Oct 9	Nov 6	Dec 4 – Feb 12
Zone 11b	—	Oct 2	Oct 30	Nov 27 – Feb 5

How to Plant Sweet Alyssum

Between Plants

Between Rows

Growing Conditions

☀️ Sun

Full Sun (6-8+ hours)

💧 Water

Low — drought tolerant

Drought tolerant — water only when soil is dry 2" deep.

🧪 Soil pH

6 – 7.5

Prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil — ideal for most garden beds.

🗺️ Hardiness Zones

Zone 3a – 11b

📅 Days to Maturity

45–60 days

Quick-growing crop. Multiple plantings per season are possible.

👪 Plant Family

Brassicaceae

Rotate with other families yearly to prevent soil-borne diseases. Don't plant in the same spot where Brassicaceae family crops grew last year.

Succession Planting Sweet Alyssum

Sweet Alyssum matures in just 45–60 days, making it ideal for succession planting. In a typical 180-day growing season, you can get up to 4 successive plantings by sowing every 5.1 weeks.

Your actual succession count depends on your local frost dates. Enter your ZIP code to get personalized succession planting dates for your area.

Companion Planting for Sweet Alyssum

✅ Good Companions

Lettuce Broccoli Strawberries Tomatoes Roses

Check more combinations with our Companion Planting Checker →

Growing Tips for Sweet Alyssum

Surface-sow seeds — they need light to germinate. Direct-sow as soon as soil can be worked in spring; in zones 7+ also sow in fall. Thin to 6 inches apart. Shear back hard in midsummer when heat causes dormancy — plants recover and re-bloom when cool weather returns. Self-seeds prolifically; allow a few plants to set seed for a perpetual colony.

Saving Sweet Alyssum Seeds

Recommended for Your Garden

🌱

Seed Starting Trays $8-20

Start seeds indoors with reusable cell trays and humidity domes.

🧪

Soil Test Kit $12-25

Test your soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels before planting.

🏷️

Garden Plant Markers $6-12

Keep your garden organized with durable, weather-resistant plant labels.

Reader favourite

Seed Saving & Storage Guide

$27 $157 value

Most saved seeds go bad before next season. This shows exactly when to pick, how to dry, and where to store seeds from 200 plants so yours don't.

200 plants, step-by-step: life cycle, pollination type, isolation
Exact temperature + humidity ranges that keep seeds viable
Bonus: searchable Google Sheets tracker + custom GPT assistant

Save a lifetime of seed money →

Sweet Alyssum by State

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to grow Sweet Alyssum?

Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) takes 45 to 60 days from planting to harvest. Exact timing depends on your variety, growing conditions, and USDA zone.

What zones can Sweet Alyssum grow in?

Sweet Alyssum can be grown in USDA zones 3a through 11b. Use the planting calendar above to find the exact dates for your zone.

How much sun does Sweet Alyssum need?

Growing Sweet Alyssum requires Full Sun (6-8+ hours), Low — drought tolerant, and soil pH of 6 to 7.5.