Give them a little 'hair cut'. That usually helps perk mine up. The ones I plant in the ground do grow better than the ones in my pots. The ones in my garden really reseeded a lot from last year. It's the most I've ever had reseed and we had a cold winter. I know in my pots I plant them much closer than I do in the gardens. Maybe they need more room for their roots even though they're small.
Good luck with yours.

Kat

Alyssum are generally considered cool season annuals. They often begin to fade a bit once the temperatures get really warm. I'm guessing that your plants weren't able to thrive during their ideal time because of rain and cloudy skies, and now don't have the energy reserves to last through some hot temp.

I've grown Alyssum in containers just to give the bees something to forage on during the winter months. They can take mild freezing temperatures just fine.....but not the heat.

rhizo is right. Although I love alyssym, I have nearly given up on it because once the temps start hitting in the high eighties to low nineties regularly it just gives up and dies.

Thank you so much. I'll probably try something else next year as I'm using them with roses, and I need something to take the heat. I do love the fragrance.

Most of the colored alyssum does not do well. The white is better, but the best is easter basket Alyssum from T+T seeds. You do need good soil though so they get and retain moisture.

Easter basket is the best alyssum I've ever grown. It is mixed colors. I plant them in a flat and transplant 3 together when I transplant--so if one dies I still have alyssum. As long as you give them regular waterings when they are small, you can leave them more when they are bigger. I edge my 3 boxes with it every year and they are in full sun all day. They even came through this terrible hot weather we've had lately.

I generally have to give mine a trim off the top to help stimulate new growth in the heat of summer. Mine are about ready for one now in one bed. I think I let them get a bit too dry during a hot spell. My pink ones are doing fine so far, but this is the first year I've tried them. Try giving them a trim to about 2-3 inches & see what happens. Perhaps just trim one small section to see if it helps, then try another section later, if it does.

Alyssum -- white and purple but definitely more so with the white -- generally grow extremely well for me -- hot summer days in the 90s (full sun) have never been an issue (actually they REALLY pump out the fragrance then). They do need to be kept well watered on those hot days though.

Also, Lainey, if your summer temps have been all out of whack as ours have been, don't hold it against your alyssum. Thus far this summer has been screwy -- a rollercoaster temperature-wise. We've has a lot more rain too than in past years. Some plants have actually been doing a bit better than in the past, but many others have not been happy

Lainey,

You might want to take a look at Proven Winners - Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'. Another gardener reported they had used it as a filler among their roses so I picked up a plant at my local nursery to see how it would do. It's much taller than Alyssum and no fragrance that I can detect, but boy, does it remain blooming and pretty through the summer heat. Very airy and delicate looking. I took a stem and rooted it in water very quickly, so it appears one mother plant would make a lot of plants.

Or, if you like the fragrance of Allyssum, you might plant it underneath 'Diamond Frost', so when it gives up the ghost, you still have a beautiful filler in place.

Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: Proven Winners - Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' photo

Great idea, Mary. I have the diamond frost in a container this year and it is beautiful. I'll definitely try it next year.

A word about your alyssum when fertilizing them as of all your flowers in your garden,buy some trace minerals .They really love this stuff and grow above normal height and width.
Trace minerals are a very important part of growing anything and you can pick it up on line.
I cannot find it anywhere in the garden stores in Minnesota at least close by.
So purchase it on line in a 10 lb bag. A little goes a long way.
Might be too late for this season but next years blooms will be great.
Remember to put down a good grade of fertilizer and compost.
Hope this helps.
Trace Minerals are the best for every living thing.
It is a vital nutrient

Love that Diamond Frost. If I recall correctly it thrived until we actually had frost. I even had it where it got a fair amount of shade and it still did well.
gramma jan

I went away on vacation while my alyssum was young and fragile and my friend, who knows nothing about plants, failed to water them for four days... the blooms died off, the plants themselves looked awful, and I was told that once the blooms are gone, they're gone for the year. Boo. It was time to experiment, of course. I "gave them a haircut" and over-watered them. And they loved it! Despite the unusually hot weather (100s, here in PA, for DAYS) we're having, they have rebloomed in about 3 weeks- both the white and the purple!

To recap:
1. water excessively
2. trim
3. mine are actually planted in the shade along with my impatiens. :)

My alyssum 'Carpet of Snow' has been doing really well, despite brutal heat. This summer has been a perpetual heat wave with almost no rain. Temps above 90 and even 100 have been the norm. I have a LOT of alyssum planted in various spots. Based on that, I can say that the stuff that I started from seed (both winter sown and direct sown) is doing much better. Also, like others have said, the alyssum in the ground is more vigorous. And, the alyssum that is watered regularly is happiest.

The problem I see with Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' is that it is patented and therefore cannot be legally propagated through cuttings. I haven't seen any information about whether it sets viable seed. So, it sounds like it would be necessary to pay garden center prices for each and every plant. You'd also need to replant it every year. Fine for the occasional container, but I wouldn't want to go to the trouble and expense to use it on a wider scale.

I got the alyssum seeds at the dollar store for 25 cents and it will reseed for me, plus I can collect seeds and make more! I'm a fan, if you can't tell. :)

Lisa

I also have 'Carpet of Snow' grown from seeds sown in November. It's a trooper and so beautiful!

We've been inundated with 95-100 degree temps and little rain. Mine is a huge mass of white. I have trimmed it a bit now and then. I see new seedlings already coming up and don't know if that's from November or if I'm getting seedlings off of the bigger plants. I do keep the area moist since it gets 12 hours of sun and I grow zinnias there, too.

I’m noticing similar results with purple alyssum. I love love love these plants - search them out every year for the sweet honey scent and the full delicate mounding and sometimes trailing flowers, but my purple (which I interspersed with white this year) is crispy and dead to all appearances! I wasn’t sure what was wrong until I read the thread and yep, it’s been crazy hot this past few weeks. the white have diminished somewhat but the purple are fried. Thanks for the heads up!