Wide stone walls, rock gardens, and stone steps can sometimes look a little bare or lifeless in your backyard. But here’s a pro tip: you can brighten up those rugged corners with vibrant yellow blooms! Basket of Gold (Alyssum) is the perfect candidate because it actually thrives in poor soil with very few nutrients. The key to success is just getting the sowing process right.
Buying or Harvesting Seeds
You can easily pick up seeds at your local garden center, or if you (or a neighbor!) already have some growing, you can harvest them yourself. The easiest way to do this is to snip off the seed heads in late summer or fall. Once you get them inside, just separate the individual seeds and store them in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant.
Indoors or Outdoors?
When it comes to actually planting, you’ve got two main options. Option one is direct sowing outdoors. If you go this route, wait until at least April—young Alyssum plants are super sensitive to frost. Personally, I recommend option two: starting them indoors. You can get a head start as early as March.
The Right Way to Start Your Seeds
If you’ve decided to start your Basket of Gold indoors, here’s the step-by-step:
- Fill small starter pots with a high-quality seed-starting mix.
- Place a few seeds in each pot and cover them with just a light dusting of soil.
- Gently press the soil down to make sure the seeds have good contact.
- Find a sunny, south-facing windowsill for your pots to call home.
Moving Outdoors
You should see sprouts popping up after about a week, and usually, everything is germinated by day ten. Give the little guys plenty of time to grow—they are pretty low-maintenance when it comes to care. Don’t be in too much of a rush to move them outside; wait until the “Ice Saints” have passed in mid-May and the threat of overnight frost is gone. Look for a sunny spot in your garden with well-draining soil—even if the soil is a bit sandy or nutrient-poor, this plant will feel right at home!
