Evergreen candytuft

Sun

Full sun gives the densest growth and best flowering; light afternoon shade helps in hot climates.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Established plants tolerate some drought; avoid persistently wet roots.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gritty or gravelly soil, preferably neutral to alkaline. Improve drainage or use a raised bed where soil is heavy.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

White flower clusters in mid- to late spring, sometimes continuing into early summer; typically April-May in the Northern Hemisphere and September-November in the Southern Hemisphere.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, narrow, leathery, dark green leaves on spreading, woody-based stems; foliage can bronze or thin in severe winters.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• 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

   0.7 ft (0.22 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

• Water new plants when the root zone begins to dry, rather than keeping the soil constantly damp.
• Once established, water deeply only during extended dry weather.
• Avoid rich feeding; use a light application of balanced fertiliser in spring only if growth is weak.
• Use a thin gravel mulch around plants, keeping it clear of the crown.
• Keep fallen leaves and wet organic mulch away from the stems in winter.

Pruning. After flowering, shear off spent flower heads and shorten the leafy shoots by up to one-third to keep the mound compact. Do not cut hard into bare old wood, which may not regrow.

Early spring

Remove dead or winter-damaged shoots, cutting back to healthy leafy growth.

Spring

Plant in a sunny, freely drained position and water thoroughly.

Late spring

After the main flowering flush, lightly shear the plant to prevent loose, straggling growth.

Summer

Check new plants during dry spells; take non-flowering cuttings for replacement plants.

Early autumn

Plant in mild regions while the soil is warm, avoiding sites that stay wet in winter.

Winter

Clear wet leaves from the crown and check that water drains away freely.

• Edge sunny paths with repeated low mounds for a clear, white-flowered spring border.
• Let stems spill over a retaining wall or raised bed to soften the masonry.
• Plant among rocks and gravel with creeping phlox and rock cress for contrasting spring colour.
• Place in front of dwarf conifers or clipped evergreen shrubs for a low layer of flowers and year-round foliage.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Alpine rock garden, Dry gravel garden, White garden, Low-maintenance and Mediterranean.

Plant it with: Creeping phlox, Rock cress, Basket-of-gold, Dwarf bearded iris, Creeping thyme and Dwarf conifers.

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

• Root or crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage, keep mulch away from the crown and replace badly affected plants in a drier position.
• Open, woody or floppy growth: provide more sun, avoid heavy feeding and trim lightly after flowering; replace old plants that no longer make leafy growth near the base.
• Slugs and snails on young growth: inspect at dusk, remove hiding places and use an approved iron-phosphate bait if needed.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people; no parts are generally recognised as poisonous. It is not an edible plant, and eating garden foliage may still cause stomach upset.

• Annual candytuft (Iberis umbellata)

  An upright annual with non-woody stems and flowers often pink, lilac or purple as well as white; evergreen candytuft forms a persistent, woody-based mound.

• Bitter candytuft (Iberis amara)

  Usually an upright annual with toothed leaves and flower clusters that lengthen as they develop; evergreen candytuft has mostly smooth-edged leaves and low, spreading woody stems.

• Rock cress (Arabis caucasica)

  Also produces low masses of white spring flowers, but its leaves are generally broader, grey-green and hairy rather than narrow, dark green and leathery.

Iberis refers to Iberia, the peninsula containing Spain and Portugal, while sempervirens means 'always green', referring to the persistent foliage.

Propagation. Take short, non-flowering softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in late spring or summer and root them in a freely drained medium. Species plants can also be raised from seed, but named cultivars may not come true.

Accepted botanical name

Iberis sempervirens

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

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