Candytuft provides a dark rich shiny green to the edges of sunny gardens all year long on the Eastern Shore, especially nice in the deep cold of winter. (Photo by Ginny Rosenkranz)
May is when the evergreen Iberis sempervirens or Candytuft are in full flower on the Eastern Shore, some starting as early as March or April and continuing to bloom for up to 10 weeks.
The evergreen foliage provides a dark rich shiny green to the edges of sunny gardens all year long, especially nice in the deep cold of winter.
The plants are very drought tolerant, growing well in drained soils.
They only grow about six to 12 inches tall and can spread slowly to form a mound about 18 inches wide.
The small four-petaled pure white flowers are arranged in a dense cluster forming a domed umbrella shape.
When in bloom, the flowers almost blanket the plant totally and are extremely fragrant, living up to their common name of Candytuft.
When in bloom they attract many pollinators including many early butterflies, but neither deer nor rabbits will nibble on the foliage.
“Alexander’s White” is an excellent cultivar, growing a bit taller with lots of long lasting flowers.
Candytuft is perfect as an edging plant for a garden or along a path, but it also looks great cascading over a low wall or as a sunny groundcover and even in containers.
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)
