Plant stone herb properly
From mid-May, plant your pre-grown or pre-purchased Alyssum in a sunny spot. Place the still potted root ball in water while you weed the bed and loosen it with the rake. Then dig small pits at a distance of 20-25 cm, the excavation of which you enrich with compost and horn shavings (€ 6.39 on Amazon *). If necessary, add a little more sand or fine grit. Plant a potted scented stone in each hole, press the soil and water.
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Planting in pots and flower boxes (€ 13.18 at Amazon *) follows a similar pattern. In addition, please spread some potsherds or chippings over the water drain so that this water-bearing layer can effectively prevent waterlogging.
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Care tips
Behind its tightly woven carpets of flowers, there are modest demands on care. The scent stone rich is satisfied with these horticultural gifts:
- Water in summer drought
- Cut off dead flowers for a second bloom
- After pruning, fertilize with compost or liquid fertilizer
- Vitalize perennial stone herb with a start fertilization in March
After the first frost, a one-year-old fragrance stone dies completely. In contrast, perennial species such as the rock stone herb or the mountain stone herb receive winter protection in the form of autumn leaves, coniferous twigs or garden fleece.
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Which location is suitable?
Both annual and perennial species agree on the ideal site conditions. The place should be sunny to shady, warm and bathed in air. In addition, every fragrance stone rich feels comfortable in humus, sandy-loamy and well-drained soil.
What soil does the plant need?
A scent stone rich with lavish carpets of flowers is there wherever there are gaps in sandy-loamy and lean soil. Please make sure that the water drainage is good, as waterlogging will hunt down every Alyssum within a short time. The nutrient-rich potting soil for successful potting is therefore leaned by experienced hobby gardeners with sand or fine grit.
When is the flowering time?
Since the hardy species differ in terms of flowering time from the annual varieties, clever hobby gardeners know how to use this fact for an extra long flowering time. The sturdy mountain stone herb (Alyssum montanum), with its yellow flowers from April to May, opens the bouquet. The classics such as the annual fragrance stone rich 'Tiny Tim' or the pink Alyssum maritima 'Rosy O Day' ensure a seamless transition. Their blooming magic lasts from June / July to September / October when, after the first pass, they cut off the withered flowers to just above the basal rosettes.
Cut stone herb correctly
A cut at the right time contributes significantly to the fact that the flowering period lasts for many weeks. Alternatively, you can brush out the withered flower clusters every few days. Alternatively, cut off the entire carpet of flowers when it has faded. Please only cut so deep that the native leaf rosettes remain, because the second bloom sprouts from them. It is an advantage not to cut off the secondary flowering until the seeds have been able to spread. In this way, the next year's flowering of stone herbs is ensured without any action on your part.
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Water stone herb
If a fragrance stone decorates the bed, it is satisfied with the rainfall for the water supply. You only need to intervene with the watering can when summer comes along with long periods of drought. In the pot and balcony box, stone herbs are dependent on regular watering. In a sunny location, the substrate dries out so quickly that it should be watered every 1-2 days.
Fertilize stone herb properly
Freshly planted with the addition of compost or in pre-fertilized potting soil, the fragrance stone rich has a sufficient supply of nutrients. After the first pruning, we recommend applying compost or liquid fertilizer again.
Overwinter
Annual scented stone rich, like the busy Tiny Tom, dies completely after the first frost. Before that, the plant provides for a large number of offspring by self-sowing, which will continue the flower festival next year. Robust species such as the mountain stone herb (Alyssum montanum) have sufficient winter hardiness for perennial cultivation. Do not cut back the plants in autumn, as the dead leaves act as natural winter protection. In addition, spread autumn leaves, coniferous twigs or garden fleece over the bedding area. If the flowers flourish in the pot or balcony box, move the containers into a light, frost-free winter area in good time. At temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius, only water enough so that the root ball does not dry out.
Propagate stone herb
In autumn, let the second bloom stand until the pods with the seeds form. You collect these and, after a short drying phase, store the seeds in a dark screw-top jar. From February sow the fine seeds on poor seed soil or peat sand. Thinly sieved with sand and kept slightly moist, the seeds germinate at 18-20 degrees Celsius within a few days. The strongest seedlings are pricked out in single pots if they have at least 2 pairs of leaves. Then take care of the young stone herbs in order to plant them out in a sunny spot from mid-May.
Stone cabbage in the pot
In the pot, Duftsteinrich is ideal as a decorative underplanting of your most beautiful perennials and summer flowers. Any commercially available potting soil can be used as a substrate, enriched with a handful of sand or perlite (€ 32.90 at Amazon *). In terms of care, a stone herb is enough what the plant neighbors leave. Maintain the stone herb as a solitary plant, always water when the soil is well dried. Cut off the withered flowers down to the basal leaves and fertilize with a liquid fertilizer, a nice second bloom appears.
Nice varieties
- Tiny Tim: White blooming classic that transforms sunny, dry locations into a sea of white flowers
- Rosy O Day: Enchanting Alyssum maritima with rich pink flowers in lavish abundance in the bed and balcony box
- Berggold: hardy Alyssum montanum, which sets the scene with golden yellow flowers; ideal for the rock garden
- Königsteppich: The perfect scented stone for picturesque, wine-red flower carpets that contrast wonderfully with white varieties
- Sulphureum: Early blooming, light yellow stone herb; one of the few hardy varieties that also thrive in partial shade
- Oriental nights: Annual aroma stone rich, which enchants us with purple flowers; as a border between the bed and the grave
