Candytuft Growing Guide

Iberis sempervirens

Crop Rotation Group

Brassicas (Cabbage family) ●

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil.

Position

Full sun to partial afternoon shade.

Frost tolerant

Candytuft is a hardy perennial, tolerating winter cold to -20°F (-29°C).

Feeding

In spring just as new growth emerges, topdress the area around candytuft with a balanced organic fertilizer.

Spacing

Single Plants: 11" (30cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 11" (30cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

Start perennial candytuft seeds indoors in early spring, and expect germination in 10 days. If they are hardened off or protected with a cover, seedlings can be set out while the weather is still cold. Some heavy-blooming varieties are propagated from stem cuttings and sold as potted plants in spring. When possible, choose plants that have not yet begun to bloom. Young plants need water their first year, but after that candytuft is moderately drought tolerant.
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Young plants may not bloom their first year, because perennial candytuft needs 8 to 10 weeks of cold winter weather to initiate flower buds. Once established, candytuft becomes a semi-evergreen ground cover that spreads very little. The pure white flowers flatter anything that grows nearby. Botanically, perennial candytuft is a subshrub rather than a herbaceous perennial. Frost-tender annual candytuft (I. umbellata) blooms in shades of pink. Perennial candytuft is often evergreen, but will spring back when winter injures the tops of the plants.

Harvesting

The white flowers of perennial candytuft are naturally set off by the plants’ glossy dark green leaves. After the flowers fade, shear back the plants by one third their size to encourage fresh new growth.

Planting and Harvesting Calendar

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Pests which Affect Candytuft

Aphids (General)

Slug

Snail