As the name suggests, Sweet Alyssum is actually very sweet in nature, spreading a beautiful honey-like scent all around the garden.
This low-growing flowering plant has many beneficial characteristics and is a choice for every gardener. They bring lots of beneficial insects to the garden, which helps in pollinating and pest control.
They are used as border plants to increase visual beauty; many people use sweet alyssums as hanging pots and even in containers.
Experts suggest that sweet alyssum is actually very advantageous in several kidney-related diseases and provides vital nutrients to the human body.
Sweet alyssum is a cool seasoned annual plant that blooms in many shades, including white, purple, and pink. It is vastly planted around early spring when the danger of hard frost is passed.
In this article, we will discuss the good companion plants of Sweet alyssum and what are their growing requirements, and a lot more.
Table of Contents
Why Does Sweet Alyssum Need Companion Plants?
Sweet alyssum is good with almost any other plants and grows equally well when planted near them.
If sweet alyssum is planted near roses, it gets natural protection from cats, dogs, and deer. The thorns in roses provide protection as no animals can eat or dig and hamper good fertile soil around the plant.
Plants like peas provide good nitrogen nutrient soil for sweet alyssum for better growth and effective productivity.
And if you need a patriotic sight in your garden, plant red salvia and blue ageratum along the white sweet alyssum for a July 4th patriotic theme.
5 Best Sweet Alyssum Companion Plants
Sweet alyssum is an easygoing plant that fits well with many plants forming a good relationship. Good companion plants, if planted near sweet alyssum, will be beneficial for both the respective plants and the entire garden.
Let us know about some good companion plants of sweet alyssum to give you the liberty of choice.
1. Lettuce
Growing lettuce with sweet alyssum may sound strange, but it actually benefits the entire garden.
It is one biological step many organic farmers in the United States take to control aphids’ effect on lettuce. Sweet alyssum flowers attract beneficial wasps that like to eat aphids that damage lettuce, thus providing a cover to lettuce.
Planting sweet alyssum with lettuce also increases the productivity and health of alyssum plants as lettuce properties increase the soil nutrients and enhance the taste of neighboring plants.
2. Tomatoes
The second on the list is ever shiny and delicious, adding to almost everything; tomatoes are a good neighbor to sweet alyssum.
The alyssum plant is a quick spreader, and it keeps the soil moist, which helps tomatoes from drying out, even in full scorching heat.
Sweet alyssum also attracts beneficial pollinators to the garden, which is essential for tomato growth. As tomato flowers are pollinated, they grow tastier and blooming fruits.
They both share the same growing requirements, need full sunlight to grow well, and watering twice a week to both plants is needed.
They won’t compete for nutrients and will grow easily without any difficulties.
3. Roses
Another good companion plant of sweet alyssum is roses. It makes your garden an absolute beauty creating a vibrant and fragrant garden.
The visual beauty of roses is no secret, and when planted next to alyssum, it creates a visual no one can imagine. Sweet alyssum also attracts insects like lady bugs which feed on aphids that destroy roses and their growth.
Roses and sweet alyssum also have a very similar growing requirements as they both require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight for healthier growth and moist soil to prevent them from wilting.
Roses also provide a layer of protection as their thorns keep cats and dogs away from eating or digging around the plant, and if you live near an area that is prone to deer attacks, then it saves you from such attacks as well.
4. Potatoes
Potatoes and sweet alyssum can form a good friendship beneficial to both if planted side by side.
Sweet Alyssum is a lethal beauty; along with spreading magnificent aroma, it provides security to potato plants by keeping away leafhoppers and potato beetles from attacking their neighbor plant.
Potato plants help repair the Mexican bean beetle. Alyssum keeps the weeds away, providing good moist soil. Both these plant likes to grow in full sunlight, although they can tolerate partial shade.
5. Peas
The best combination there is, if any, is peas and sweet alyssum, as they both complement each other very well.
Sweet alyssum attracts many pollinators and beneficial insects due to its honey-like-smelling flowers.
One such attraction is of lacewings, which like to feed on the nectar of alyssum flowers, and after they are done, they route towards pea plants, which are highly prone to aphids.
The lacewings relentlessly feed on aphids to end their infection on peas plants, and the fact that they suckle on aphids at twice the rate that ladybugs do makes lacewings immediately effective.
In return, peas offer nitrogen-filled soil nutrients to sweet alyssum for their healthy and productive growth.
2 Worst Companion Plants For Sweet Alyssum
There are not many plants that sweet alyssum feels disturbed around; let us see the worst companion plants that can enhance your alyssum plants’ growth.
1. Sunflowers
A famous and equally beautiful flowering plant, Sunflower has the traits, and sweet alyssum will die if planted near them.
Sunflower is an allelopathic plant which means they release a compound through their roots that is eventually toxic to alyssum and many other plants.
2. Iris
Water-loving plants are not very good neighboring plants for sweet alyssum. If the soil is, waterlogged or soggy sweet alyssum will increase rotting in parts of the plant.
Plants like Begonia, Daylily, Elephant’s ear, and other water-loving plants are not at all good companion plants of sweet alyssum.
What Are Sweet Alyssum’s Growing Requirements?
If you plan to grow sweet alyssum in your garden, knowing the plant’s basic growing conditions and requirements for productive and healthy overall growth is essential.
1. Light Requirements
Ensuring your sweet alyssum is planted in an area where it can get plenty of sunshine for better growth. Providing full sun in pleasant summer conditions is recommended.
If you live in a place where summer is generally hot, then plant these amazing scented beauties in partial shade to provide relief from scorching heat.
2. Soil Requirements
Sweet alyssum requires moist soil with good drainage capabilities. Water logging or soggy soil will hamper its growth.
Sweet alyssum plants are very flexible and can grow anywhere, be it borders, sand or wall cracks, or containers; they do not mind.
3. Water Requirements
Your sweet alyssum will require an inch deep of watering in their soil once a week. If it is planted in hot weather areas, water the plant more regularly to prevent it from wilting.
Prevent waterlogging through good draining soil to prevent rotting of the submerged parts of the plant.
Grass Diseases And Pests
There are some pests and diseases which pose a risk to sweet alyssum plants, and preventive measures should be taken to safeguard against any damages.
Root rot and wilt is one of the common diseases for an alyssum plant. You will observe a yellow to brownish wilting and then end up falling off the leaves of the alyssum plant.
A cure for this is actually unlikely, and prevention should be done before it is affected. Too much watering can cause this once it is affected plant has to be removed to prevent spread.
Other than this, aster leafhopper, crown rot, and downy mildew are also a threat to the plant, and refraining from overwatering is a probable solution.
Butterflies and songbirds are drawn to the sweet alyssum plants, but they are just pollinators, and they hate other insects and pests, which is a win-win for the plant.
Conclusion
Sweet alyssum is a plant that brings much joy to a gardener. Its amazing fragrance and astonishing beauty make it a must-have plant. If you plan to grow one, this article will guide you through the process.
You will learn about the five best and two worst companion plants of sweet alyssum, the plant growing requirements, and the diseases it is prone to.
Do let us know which of the above-listed companion plant you selected. Happy gardening.