Alyssum montanum Berggold

The wide grey-green carpets of this small mountain perennial, called Alyssum montanum Berggold, suddenly turn to golden yellow, creating a dazzling display. Generous and undemanding, this naturally compact alyssum blooms in late spring, surrounded by a scent of honey. Perfect in rock gardens and flower pots, it is a robust and sturdy plant, resistant to bad weather, very useful in mountain gardens and rocky, not too dry soils.

Alyssum montanum, also the mountain alyssum, is a perennial plant with semi-woody stems at the base, belonging to the Brassicaceae family. This plant, native to central and southern Europe, is also found in western Asia and North Africa. In its natural environment, it occupies sandy or rocky places in mountainous regions where summer rainfall allows its survival.

This plant is widely cultivated in gardens and has given rise to numerous horticultural varieties. 'Berggold' Alyssum forms woody-based, compact and spreading herbaceous clumps over time, 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) tall and 50 cm (20in) wide. Resembling a weed at first, it then transforms into an imposing clump of branching stems, initially lying down then upright, adorned with greenish-white, alternate, simple and entire leaves, narrow (from lanceolate to linear), attenuated towards the base and bearing star-shaped hairs. The flowering period extends from May to July, completely covering the plant with bright lemon yellow to golden yellow flowers with distinctly notched petals, that are quite large considering the size of the plant, and have a slight honey scent.

Succeeding forsythias and accompanying tulips, commonly used in gardens, mountain alyssums thrive in well-drained, not too dry soils. They are perfect plants for covering the tops of walls, the spaces between rocks in rock gardens, like aubrietas and bellflowers. They adorn the base of perennials (wallflowers, hollyhocks) and small bushes like ballota, shrubby salvias, lavenders or caryopteris. They can also be planted along pathways, in well-drained soil. They also perform well in pots and flower boxes.