Aubrieta

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in hotter gardens.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently wet soil, especially in winter.

Soil

Well-drained, moderately fertile, neutral to alkaline soil. Gritty or stony soil suits it; heavy clay needs improved drainage or a raised planting position.

Height

0.25-0.5 ft (0.08-0.15 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Mid- to late spring; small, four-petalled violet-purple to lilac flowers, sometimes with a lighter centre.

Foliage

Small, softly hairy, grey-green leaves form a dense mat. Usually evergreen, but foliage may thin or suffer damage in severe winters.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.4 ft (0.12 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a position that drains freely.
• Water new plants when the surface soil dries; established plants need water mainly during extended drought.
• Avoid rich feeding; use a light application of balanced fertiliser in spring only if growth is weak.
• Keep damp organic mulch away from the crown; a thin gravel mulch is more suitable.
• Remove weeds from the mat by hand before they become established.

Pruning. Immediately after flowering, shear off spent flower stems and lightly trim the leafy growth to keep the mat compact. Avoid cutting deeply into bare, woody stems.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged shoots and check that water is not collecting around the crown.

Spring

Plant into freely draining soil and water regularly while roots establish.

Late spring

After flowering, shear lightly to remove spent stems and tidy the mat.

Summer

Water during prolonged drought and take cuttings from healthy non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the foliage and keep nearby drains or gravel channels open.

Winter

Check container drainage and avoid leaving pots standing in water.

• Let it spill over a sunny retaining wall to soften stone edges with spring colour.
• Plant between rocks alongside dwarf irises and alpine pinks for a low spring display.
• Use along a sunny path or gravel border where its mat can spread without covering smaller plants.
• Grow in a shallow trough with other drainage-loving alpines for a compact courtyard display.

Garden styles it suits: Alpine rock garden, Cottage garden, Dry gravel garden, Cotswold cottage, Pollinator garden and Small-space.

Plant it with: Creeping phlox, Perennial candytuft, Alpine pinks, Basket-of-gold, Dwarf irises and Creeping thyme.

Wildlife: The spring flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other visiting insects.

• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage, move plants out of low spots and replace badly affected plants.
• Sparse, woody centres: trim lightly after flowering and replace ageing mats with rooted cuttings.
• Flea beetles making small holes in leaves: keep young plants watered and use fine insect mesh over vulnerable seedlings.
• Slugs and snails damaging young shoots: remove hiding places and check plants after dark, especially during establishment.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; no particular part is recognised as poisonous. It is an ornamental plant, not a food plant.

• Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata)

  Has narrow, needle-like leaves and flowers with five petal lobes; aubrieta has broader, hairy leaves and four petals.

• Rock cress (Arabis caucasica)

  Usually has white flowers held above more distinct leafy rosettes; aubrieta usually forms a tighter mat covered in violet-purple flowers.

• Perennial candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)

  Has smooth, dark green leaves and dense white flower clusters with noticeably unequal petals.

Aubrieta honours the French botanical artist Claude Aubriet, while deltoidea refers to the roughly triangular shape of the leaves.

Propagation. Sow seed in spring, or take softwood to semi-ripe cuttings from non-flowering shoots in summer. Seed-grown plants can vary; use cuttings to preserve a particular plant's flower colour and habit.

Accepted botanical name

Aubrieta deltoidea

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

East Aegean Is., Greece, Kriti, Sicilia and Turkey.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 14 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.