Plant Candytuft For a Snowy White Groundcover – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Candytuft is a spring blooming favorite usually found cascading over rocks and walls, or as a snowy groundcover. This low-growing perennial is one of the best flowers of this type. Perennial candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) begins to bloom in the latter part of April and the white blossoms last through June. For the rest of the year, the evergreen foliage is an attractive green mat.

Named for Candia in Crete where this plant is a common native wildflower, candytuft has been cultivated since Elizabethan times. Found throughout the the Mediterranean region, its Latin name, Iberis comes from Iberia, the old name for Spain, and ‘sempervirens’ means evergreen. In its natural state, it thrives in rocky terrain at higher altitudes where it seems to thrive in poor soil and dry conditions.

Some of the best uses for candytuft are in rock gardens, edgings along pathways, or just as a filler to cover bare spots in perennial beds. It is a good filler plant for hanging baskets and window boxes, where it will cascade gracefully over the edges. Use it also in containers or planters on a patio or balcony where you can enjoy not only the showy white flowers but also the fragrance.

Plant candytuft in a sunny spot, with average but well-drained soil. It will not tolerate heavy clay soils that retain a lot of moisture in winter. Once established, you will find it is quite drought tolerant. When the pure white blanket of blooms start to fade in June, shear the plants. This will encourage stronger foliage growth, and will help to set the flower buds for next year. At this time, you can also take softwood cuttings to start new plants.

Candytuft grows to a height of 6 to 12 inches, depending on the variety, and will spread to 3 or 4 feet. The stems tend to root where they touch soil, adding to the value as a groundcover. The foliage is thick and finely textured. The many blossoms have 4 petals and can be up to 2 inches across. Once the first flush of blooms has finished, if the plant is sheared it may bloom again in the summer. Liabilities of Iberis are the possibility of developing club root or crown rot as they age, and fragility of the easily broken stems.

The most available cultivars of candytuft can usually be found in plant nurseries. These are ones to look for:

Findel: Exceptionally large clusters of snowy white flowers grow on this rare form. It is difficult to propagate, so not often found in nurseries.

Little Gem: A very compact form, with a tidy shape and masses of small white flowers.

Snowflake: This is a larger form of candytuft, good for edging your perennial borders. It grows to 10 inches and has medium sized clean white flowers.

Alexander White: Small, pure white, 4-petaled flowers in dense, flattened clusters appear in a profuse, early-to-late-spring bloom, totally obscuring the foliage.

Autumn Snow: This candytuft flowers prolifically in spring, and will flower again in autumn when spring blooms have been sheared off.

Purity: A compact form with a dense blanket of pure white flowers that last for several weeks. It is not easily divided.

Golden Candy: This interesting selection forms a mound of chartreuse-yellow leaves instead of the usual dark green foliage. Clusters of small white flowers show in mid to late spring.

Add this very prolific bloomer to your basket of perennials whenever you are looking for a trouble-free and stunning groundcover or rock garden addition for the sunny sites in your landscaping.