Alyssum spinosum var roseum

[maggiepie]

In between thunderstorms, hope this goes.
Don't look at the weeds.

Grown from srgc seed.

[daveyp1970]

Helen it's a pink jewel,can it cope with damp weather?do you grow it in very well drained soil?sorry for all the questions?Thank you for posting

[maggiepie]

David, I'm growing it in a raised bed, it gets no special attention.
It had 4/5 feet of snow sitting on it during winter but we had a very wet autumn and spring.
I don't get the impression that it is fussy, if it grows for me it can't be.

[Lesley Cox]

It looks great Helen. I try and trim out some of the dead stems (with spikes) well after flowering, but it's a thankless and prickly task and I don't know if it's worth the bother. The new growth usually seems to cover over the old.

[maggiepie]

Lesley, there were some dead bits in spring, all the bits that didn't get leaves got the chop.
How long do these plants normally live?

[tonyg]

I grew this in the past.  It is quite long lived but can become quite large and a bit untidy.  Here it certainly liked the free draining, dry, sandy soil.  It spread outwards in all directions and the centre opened out, flowering less well, hence it became untidy.  When I grow it again I will keep it in check by cutting back, much as you do with Helianthemum after flowering.

[Lesley Cox]

Everything Tony says. You can tie a string around it to keep it closed and compact and the string is very soon invisible.

[shelagh]

Davey we have several growing in the rock garden and scree bed and them seem to take all the weather that comes our way in 'Rainy Greater Manchester'.

I agree with Tony they are quite long lived but they do seed themselves around in a civilised manner so we are never without them.

[Lesley Cox]

Although there sometimes appear to be capsules on mine, I've never been able to harvest a seed from it and have never had a self sown seedling.

[maggiepie]

Am hoping to harvest some seeds, I wish I knew what they looked like.
I didn't get any stray seedlings last year.

Shelagh, can you take pics of yours?

[Lesley Cox]

The seeds should be about 1.5 or 2mm in diameter, roundish, flattish and a tan colour. I've had a few but nothing ever germinated. The plant is easy enough from cuttings though.

[Anthony Darby]

Is it scented like the white annual?

[Lesley Cox]

I don't think so or I would have noticed by now. Anyway, it's properly called Ptilotrichum now, not Alyssum. Unless it's been changed back of course.

[maggiepie]

Anthony, I just ran out and sniffed at mine, it definitely has a scent, similar to the white annual but not as overpowering.

Lesley, it will have to stay Alyssum for me, would never be able to spell Ptilotrichum, or remember it.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I've got two different forms of Ptilotrichum spinosum :

1) is a quite dark pink and it never sets seed !

2) the big grey/blue patch in the center of the picture right underneath the Berberis is a much lighter pink and it seeds out a bit too enthousiastic to my liking... 
    Actually, the patch consists of 3 or 4 plants that started from just one plant 10 years ago or so.  It responds positively to even the harshest cut back after flowering.
    New shoots appear after just a few weeks.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it in flower...

A very good rock garden plant if hou ask me !