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Basket of Gold Alyssum is a frost-hardy perennial flower from the Brassicaceae family that transforms rock gardens and borders into sheets of golden yellow blooms. Growing just 4 to 6 inches tall but spreading up to 18 inches wide, this creeping mound produces half-inch flowers that mature in 56 to 63 days from seed. Hardy in zones 3 through 11, it thrives on neglect, handling heat, drought, and poor soil with ease, making it one of the most forgiving perennials you can plant.
Full Sun
Low
3-11
6in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
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Half-inch golden yellow flowers blanket low-growing mounds that spread cheerfully across 18 inches of space, creating a sunny, cascading effect perfect for rock gardens and containers. The plant laughs at drought, heat, and sandy soil where other perennials struggle, and once established, it asks for almost nothing in return. Seeds germinate quickly at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and reach flowering maturity in under two months, rewarding patient gardeners with early season color.
Basket of Gold Alyssum works as a low-growing accent in rock gardens, a bright edging plant along borders, and a charming trailing specimen in containers and hanging baskets. Its dense, spreading habit makes it valuable for covering bare spots and softening hard landscape edges with continuous golden blooms.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date at a germination temperature of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep soil moist but not waterlogged until seedlings emerge. Transplant to larger containers or cell packs when true leaves appear.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days before moving them outdoors after the last frost date. Space transplants 6 inches apart for dense coverage, or 24 inches between rows for drifts. Water gently at planting, then reduce watering as the plant establishes.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date, pressing them lightly into prepared soil at a depth of 1/8 inch. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings are 2 inches tall, then reduce watering.
Deadhead spent flower clusters regularly to encourage continuous blooming throughout the growing season. After flowering fades in early summer, cut back the entire plant by one-third to maintain a compact, tidy mound and promote bushier growth.
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