Plant record

Sweet Alyssum

Lobularia maritima

Sweet alyssum is the garden's low hum. It edges paths, feeds tiny beneficial insects, and softens the hard lines of a square bed.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusLobulariaBrassicaceae
Species anchorLobularia maritimaThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score92/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Start indoors 3 to 6 weeks before last frost for early edging.

Surface sow in cool weather; seed needs light.

Transplant around the cool shoulder season.

Succession rhythm: about every 28 days.

Plant intelligence

Tuck four plants into a square or run them as a soft living edge under taller crops.

pollinatorbeneficial insectedge plantcontainer

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: low spreading annual flower

Height: 3-10 inches

Spread: 6-14 inches

Germination: 5-14 days

Sow depth: 0 inches

Bloom: spring, summer, fall

Attracts: hoverflies, tiny wasps, bees

Record score

92/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Lobularia maritima in Brassicaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness944 per square with none support.
Timing and care depth1003 planting windows, 45F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificLobularia maritimaFamilyBrassicaceaeLookup namesSweet Alyssum, Lobularia maritima, alyssum, sweet alison

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit4 per square
94Tuck four plants into a square or run them as a soft living edge under taller crops. Support: none.
Season behaviorsemi-hardy
100Indoor start. Direct sow. Transplant. Repeat about every 28 days.
Care loadmoderate water
80Can pause in heat. Surface-sown seed dries quickly. Soil minimum 45F.
Bed ecosystem rolepollinator, beneficial insect
90high pollinator value; white, purple, lavender, pink.
Variety depth2 options
88White types are strongest for beneficial insects; purple and pink types bring more color.

Species and variety notes

White types are strongest for beneficial insects; purple and pink types bring more color.

Carpet of Snowcultivar
86small-bed fit

The useful white edge for tiny beneficial insects.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

white, beneficial insect, low edge45-60 days3-6 inches tall
Easter Bonnetseries
86small-bed fit

A tidy series for bed edges and containers.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

compact, color range, container friendly45-60 days4-8 inches tall

Companions

lettuce, broccoli, tomato, pepper

Cautions

Can pause in heat.

Surface-sown seed dries quickly.

External enrichment

Cached name: Lobularia maritima. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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