Mine will reseed in my garden. I just started seeing them last weekend. I still have to buy them every year, but it's nice to see them reseed.

Kat

Even here in a lower zone, my outdoor alyssum will reseed heavily. I'll generally buy a few more market packs just in case - but it's been pretty reliable in providing me with extra stock - sometimes popping up in the most unexpected places.

Their reseeding habit is handy. But again the fact that these AREN'T reseedings rather the actual plants from last summer really surprised me.

:)

In your 1st post you said...'I know they are "reseedings".' So you mean they are the original plants that are growing again, or have they been growing all winter inside? That is unusual.

Kat

Well THAT explains the confusion! I must have been more pooped than I realized when I posted! Wow I didn't even spell it correctly. I meant to say that:

The alyssum which overwintered in the pot in my apt were NOT reseedings but instead were mature blooming plants from the previous summer. They are blooming again now by the way.

Paul, did they bloom at all during the winter? Did you let them go dormant or did you water them, have them in a sunny window and let them grow? I'm just curious about the conditions you had them in.

Kat

Hi Kat,

No they pretty much quit blooming during the winter months.

Apt temps stayed pretty much in the upper 60's to mid 70's. The pot was by my west facing glass doors [what some folks refer to as "door walls"]. Light was strictly whatever nature provided -- which for a Michigan winter translates to "not a whole lot" on average. Watering was done generally once per week.

Whether this is of importance, I don't know, but the tuberous begonia that is in the same pot, lost all its old growth but later sent up new growth [so I'm assuming the begonia went through a dormancy period]

Sounds like you have your pot all ready to put outside. Now that the weather is finally starting to warm up, they should really start to take off.
Thanks for letting us know!

Kat

Yup, like you experienced, allysum are perrenial plants. Lots of the plants that are sold as annuals are actually perennials in warmer climates. I have a permanent ground cover of allysum, verbena and a couple of pansies that have survived the summer months. Another perennial that is labeled as an annual is the zonal geranium (pelagonium). Im my zone, i don't have to worry about them dying in the winter, but most people who grow them in colder climates dig them up and keep them indoors in the winter. Here's a photo where you can see some allysum, verbena (bright red) and pansies around the palm.

{{gwi:10039}}