Sweet Alyssum Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift'

👤 Non-toxic to humans
🐾 Non-toxic to pets
🌸 Blooming
🍪 Not edible
‍🌱 Easy-care
sweet alyssum 'Snowdrift'

ABOUT

'Snowdrift' is a variety of Sweet Alyssum, known for its clusters of small, delicate white flowers that give the impression of a snow-covered plant. These blossoms are tightly packed, creating a dense carpet of blooms that can give off a sweet, honey-like fragrance, especially during the warmer parts of the day. The petals are tiny and somewhat rounded, contributing to the frothy appearance of the flower clusters. The foliage of 'Snowdrift' Sweet Alyssum is made up of narrow, lance-shaped leaves. These leaves are generally a medium green shade and provide a subtle background that contrasts nicely with the bright white of the flowers. The plant has a bushy growth habit, with stems that spread outwards, covered in both leaves and blossoms. Overall, 'Snowdrift' Sweet Alyssum gives a soft, delicate look due to its airy flowers and gentle greenery, making it a favored choice for garden borders, rock gardens, or as a ground cover that can spill attractively over edges and container borders. Its pleasant fragrance and continuous flowering nature through the growing season add to its ornamental appeal.

Plant Info
Care
Common Problems

About this plant

  • memoNames

    • Family

      Brassicaceae

    • Synonyms

      Sweet Alyssum, Sweet Alison, Snowdrift, Carpet of Snow, Maritime Alyssum, Snow Crystal

    • Common names

      Alyssum maritimum, Crucifera maritima, Alyssum halimifolium, Koniga maritima.

  • skullToxicity

    • To humans

      Sweet alyssum, the common name of Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift', is generally considered non-toxic to humans. There are no well-documented cases of poisoning from ingesting this plant, and it is not known to cause adverse effects when handled or eaten in small quantities. As with many plants, individual allergies or sensitivities could exist, but overall it is not regarded as a poisonous plant to humans.

    • To pets

      Sweet alyssum, the common name of Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift', is also generally considered non-toxic to pets. It is not listed among the plants commonly known to be poisonous to dogs, cats, or other pets. While it should still be discouraged for pets to ingest plants indiscriminately, there are no widely recognized symptoms of poisoning or serious consequences associated with the ingestion of this plant by pets.

  • infoCharacteristics

    • Life cycle

      Annuals

    • Foliage type

      Evergreen

    • Color of leaves

      Green

    • Flower color

      White

    • Height

      6-12 inches (15-30 cm)

    • Spread

      6-12 inches (15-30 cm)

    • Plant type

      Herb

    • Hardiness zones

      9

    • Native area

      Mediterranean

Benefits

  • money-bagGeneral Benefits

    • Easy to Grow: Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift' is known for being low maintenance and easy to cultivate, making it ideal for beginner gardeners.
    • Drought Tolerant: Once established, this plant is quite drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering.
    • Attracts Pollinators: The sweet scent and abundant flowers draw in butterflies and bees, promoting pollination in your garden.
    • Ground Cover: With its dense growth habit, it serves as an excellent ground cover, reducing soil erosion and suppressing weeds.
    • Continuous Blooming: This plant often blooms continuously from spring to fall, providing long-lasting color to landscapes.
    • Fragrant Flowers: The clusters of small, sweet-smelling flowers add a delightful fragrance to gardens and outdoor living spaces.
    • Edging Plant: Its compact size and spreading nature make it suitable for borders and edges in garden beds.
    • Seasonal Versatility: It is an annual in cooler climates and a perennial in mild winter regions, giving it a broad range of use in different garden zones.
    • Container Planting: It can thrive in pots and containers, making it versatile for balconies, terraces, and other small spaces.

  • medicalMedical Properties

    This plant is not used for medical purposes.

  • windAir-purifying Qualities

    This plant is not specifically known for air purifying qualities.

  • leavesOther Uses

    • Photography Backdrop: Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift', with its dense clusters of small white flowers, offers a beautiful and natural backdrop for macro or close-up photography.
    • Garden Aroma Therapy: The sweet fragrance of Sweet Alyssum can be used to create a soothing and pleasant atmosphere in gardens or patios, offering a form of natural aroma therapy.
    • Crafts and Flower Arranging: Dried Sweet Alyssum flowers can be used in crafts or for making dried flower arrangements to decorate the home.
    • Educational Tool: Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' can be used in schools or educational programs to teach children about plant growth, pollination, and the lifecycle of flowers.
    • Plant Maze Creation: Because of its low-growing habit, Sweet Alyssum can be used to create living mazes or pathways in a home garden for children to play and learn in.
    • Companion Planting: Sweet Alyssum can attract beneficial insects, making it a practical companion plant in the vegetable garden.
    • Natural Confetti: Instead of paper products, Sweet Alyssum flowers can be tossed at celebrations as a biodegradable alternative to traditional confetti.
    • Edible Garnish: Although not as common, the flowers of Sweet Alyssum can be used as an edible garnish to add a slight sweetness and decorative touch to salads and desserts.
    • Candle Making: Flowers from the Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' can be incorporated into homemade candles for a decorative touch and to impart a mild fragrance when the wax is warmed.
    • Journaling and Scrapbooking: Pressed Sweet Alyssum flowers can be used to embellish personal diaries, journals, or scrapbooks, adding a touch of nature to the pages.

Interesting Facts

  • bedFeng Shui

    Sweet Alyssum is not used in Feng Shui practice.

  • aquariusZodiac Sign Compitability

    Sweet Alyssum is not used in astrology practice.

  • spiralPlant Symbolism

    • Innocence: The pure white color of Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift', commonly known as Sweet Alyssum, often symbolizes innocence and purity.
    • Beauty: Sweet Alyssum is known for its delicate flowers and pleasant fragrance, making it a symbol of beauty and grace in the garden.
    • Protection: In some traditions, Sweet Alyssum is believed to offer protection when planted in the garden, warding off negative energies.

💧
Every 1-2 weeks
Water
☀️
2500 - 10000 Lux
Light
💦️
5%
Humidity
🪴
Not needed
Repotting
🌱️
Spring to Summer
Propogation
✂️️
As needed
Pruning
  • water dropWater

    The Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' prefers consistent moisture but does not do well with soggy soil. It's best to water the plant deeply whenever the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch, which may be approximately once or twice a week depending on weather conditions. During hot, dry spells, more frequent watering may be necessary. Aim to provide approximately one gallon of water per square foot every week during the growing season. Be careful not to overwater, as this plant is susceptible to root rot in excessively wet conditions.

  • sunLight

    Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' thrives in full sun to partial shade. It performs best when it receives at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. A spot that offers morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal, protecting the plant from the intense heat of late-day sun in warmer climates.

  • thermometerTemperature

    Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' is tolerant of a wide range of temperatures but grows best in conditions between 60°F and 75°F. It can survive minimum temperatures down to around 40°F. In areas with hot summers, the plant may slow down or go dormant if temperatures consistently exceed 85°F.

  • scissorsPruning

    Prune Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' to encourage bushier growth and to stimulate new blooms. Trim the plants back by one-third after the initial flowering to rejuvenate them for a new flush of flowers. Pruning is best done mid to late summer, which aligns with the typical flowering cycles of the plant.

  • broomCleaning

    As needed

  • bambooSoil

    Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' thrives in well-draining, loamy or sandy soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0. A good soil mix could include two parts peat moss or coco coir, one part perlite or vermiculite, and one part loam or garden soil to hold nutrients.

  • plantRepotting

    Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' typically does not require frequent repotting as it is an annual plant; it is sown or transplanted annually into the garden or outdoor containers.

  • water dropsHumidity & Misting

    Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' is not particularly humidity-sensitive and does well in average outdoor humidity levels.

  • pinSuitable locations

    • Indoor

      Keep Sweet Alyssum in a sunny spot.

    • Outdoor

      Plant Sweet Alyssum in well-draining soil.

    • Hardiness zone

      5-9 USDA

  • circleLife cycle

    Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift', commonly known as sweet alyssum 'Snowdrift', begins its life cycle with seed germination, which typically occurs in spring when soil temperatures warm up. After germination, the plant enters a vegetative growth stage, during which it develops a low, mat-forming rosette of leaves. The next stage is flowering, starting as early as late spring and often continuing into fall, with 'Snowdrift' producing abundant small, fragrant, white flowers that attract pollinators. Following pollination, the plant sets seed, which involves the flowers developing into seed pods that eventually dry and release seeds, completing the reproductive cycle. In temperate climates, sweet alyssum can act as an annual, completing its entire life cycle within one growing season, or it may survive as a short-lived perennial if conditions allow. In the perennial scenario, after seed set, the plant may go dormant over the winter with new growth resuming from the same plant the following spring.

  • sproutPropogation

    • Propogation time

      Spring to Summer

    • The most popular method of propagation for Lobularia maritima 'Snowdrift', commonly known as Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift', is through seed. Seed propagation is generally done in the spring, after the danger of frost has passed. To propagate Sweet Alyssum 'Snowdrift' from seed, sprinkle the small seeds onto the surface of well-drained soil and gently press them in. The seeds require light to germinate, so they should not be covered. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Germination typically occurs within 7 to 14 days at a temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). Once seedlings have grown enough to handle, they can be transplanted to their final growing positions, whether in containers or in the garden bed.