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3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Mountain Alyssum

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title

Transform your sunny landscape with a spectacular blanket of liquid gold. This prized alpine groundcover forms low-growing, tight cushions of dusty, silver-grey foliage that completely disappear beneath an absolute explosion of vibrant yellow blossoms. The dense flower clusters create a rich, high-contrast carpet that seems to glow in the spring sun, introducing instant cottage charm and high-impact brightness to stone walls, gravel paths, and patio pots.

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Plant Details

Mature Size:

6" H x 12" W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Low

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Moderate - Fast

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Mountain Alyssum, Mountain Gold, Creeping Yellow Alyssum, Perennial Alyssum

Scientific Name:

Alyssum montanum

Type:

Spiller / Groundcover / Rockery Ornamental

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6 to 8 inches tall with a spreading width of 12 to 18 inches.

Growth Habit: Creeping, low-slung, mat-forming groundcover.

Form: Low-profile, dense, rounded cushion.

Growth Rate: Medium to fast.

Flowering: Profuse, rounded terminal clusters of small, four-petaled blossoms.

Flowering Time: Mid-spring through early summer (Typically April to June).

Flower Colour: Bright golden-yellow or canary-yellow.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun.

Soil Preferences: Poor, gritty, sandy, or rocky soils with rapid, sharp drainage.

Soil Tolerance: Highly resilient in nutrient-depleted soils and gravel; completely intolerant of soggy, heavy winter clay, which triggers root rot.

Watering: Low. Allow the soil to dry out completely between watering intervals.

Container Role: Performs beautifully as a low, spreading Filler or an elegant, cascading Spiller over the rims of rocky planters.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Highly resistant to common garden pests and leaf spots; vulnerable only to crown decay if soil drainage is poor.

Native Species: No (Native to the mountainous and rocky regions of Europe).

Fast Growing: Yes.

Attracts: Highly alluring to wild honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, and early-season pollinators.

Uses: Rock gardens, rock wall crevices, pathway edging, xeriscaping, and low-water containers.

Resistance: Highly deer-resistant and rabbit-resistant due to the tough, textured composition of its leaves. Exceptional drought, heat, and frost tolerance.

Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Exceptionally showy, carpet-like display of fragrant yellow blooms that completely coat the silvery foliage.

Fall Colour: No change; the woolly foliage retains its distinct silver-grey tone well into late autumn and winter.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Dense, felted silver-grey foliage topped by intense sheets of fragrant, golden-yellow flower clusters.

Landscaping Uses: Ideal for cascading over stone retaining walls, filling gaps between paving stones, accenting rock gardens, and framing sunny pathway borders.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Serves as a fantastic, water-wise weed suppressor that thrives in harsh, sun-baked environments where traditional perennials wilt.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides a critical, early-season nectar and pollen platform for vital indigenous bees and emerging butterflies.

Human Value: Delivers exceptional, low-maintenance curb appeal and neat, year-round structural texture along harsh concrete walkways without needing irrigation.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, or early autumn.

Spacing: Space individual starts 12 inches apart to allow the creeping branches room to root and knit a solid carpet.

Location Tips: Position on a slope, rockery, or raised bed to guarantee flawless water drainage away from the crown during winter.

Companion Plants: Pairs magnificently with purple Creeping Phlox, dark-foliaged Heucheras, white Candytuft (Iberis), and early spring bulbs

Care:

Light Requirements: Demands absolute full sun to maintain a tight, compact foliage mat and maximize spring flower production.

Moisture Requirements: Exceptionally low; requires light watering only until established, after which it becomes highly drought-tolerant.

Maintenance, Fertilization: Shear the plant back by one-third immediately after the spring flowering flush to clean up the seed heads and keep the silver foliage mat dense and tidy. Avoid heavy fertilizers, as lean soil preserves its tight, non-flopping habit.

Tolerances:

Punishing summer heat, severe drought, poor or rocky soils, intense winds, and browsing wildlife.

Tips For Success:

Thinning / Pinching: Not required, but stems can be trimmed easily if they spread past their designated boundaries.

Support / Staking: Completely unnecessary; hugs the ground profile tightly.

Special Needs: Absolute soil drainage is mandatory. Wet winter soil is fatal to this plant.

Mulching: Mulch strictly with fine gravel, grit, or sand around the base to protect the foliage from moisture retention. Avoid heavy bark mulches.

Winter Protection: None required; its alpine genetics allow it to survive sub-zero, snow-covered winters without damage.

Fruit Profile