Candytuft 'First Flush™'

Multi Buy

Size Guide
3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Candytuft 'First Flush™'

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title

Introduce a stunning, multi-seasonal blanket of crisp, refined beauty to your garden walkways. Breaking away from traditional spring-only varieties, this breakthrough perennial series blankets itself in an endless succession of dense, cloud-like flower clusters. The brilliant, light-reflecting blossoms erupt over a compact, low-slung pillow of lustrous, deep emerald-green needle foliage. It provides a clean, manicured frame that keeps borders, masonry edges, and premium patio containers looking flawless and vibrant all season long.
Size
Variety

Visit Us

Delivery

Warranty

Plant Details

Mature Size:

8" H x 12" W

Zone:

4-9

Watering:

Low to Medium

Type:

Herbaceous Evergreen Perennial

Growth Rate:

Slow - Moderate

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

First Flush Candytuft, Long-Blooming Evergreen Candytuft, First Flush Perennial Candytuft

Scientific Name:

Iberis sempervirens 'First Flush™'

Type:

Filler / Spiller / Evergreen Groundcover

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6 to 8 inches tall with a dense spread of 12 to 14 inches.

Growth Habit: Mounded, dense, and spreading groundcover.

Form: Low-profile, tight evergreen cushion.

Growth Rate: Slow to medium, forming a highly organized and long-lived mat.

Flowering: Domed umbels packed with small, single 4-petaled blossoms.

Flowering Time: Begins in early spring and continues to bloom through late summer and early autumn.

Flower Colour: Bright snow-white ('Grace') or multi-toned lavender-purple aging from white ('Lavender' / 'Compact Lilac').

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun to very light, partial afternoon shade.

Soil Preferences: Average, gritty, well-draining garden soils; performs optimally in neutral or slightly alkaline sandy loams.

Soil Tolerance: Highly resilient in lean, rocky, or sandy ground; completely intolerant of heavy, soggy winter clay, which triggers root rot.

Watering: Low to moderate. Allow the soil surface to dry out completely between watering cycles.

Container Role: Acts as an exceptional, ground-hugging Filler or an elegant, trailing Spiller over the rims of patio pots and window boxes.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Excellent natural immunity to common garden pests and foliar leaf spot diseases.

Native Species: No (A modern, refined cultivated series derived from European alpine species).

Fast Growing: No (Focuses energy into creating a robust, dense frame).

Attracts: Highly alluring to wild honeybees, bumblebees, and native butterflies.

Uses: Retaining walls, front border lines, rockeries, winter container interest, and xeriscaping.

Resistance: Highly deer-resistant and rabbit-resistant due to the mustard-oil compounds within its leaves; highly salt-tolerant for coastal or roadside spots.
Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Exceptionally showy, repeating waves of flowers that completely envelope the outer green layer of the plant for months.

Fall Colour: No change; the foliage holds its rich, glossy deep green colour right through winter.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Densely packed, glossy evergreen foliage topped by high-contrast, multi-seasonal clusters of miniature blossoms.

Landscaping Uses: Ideal for edging sunny paths, spilling over stone retaining walls, accenting rock gardens, and acting as a mass front-of-border groundcover.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Engineered specifically for heat tolerance and repeat-blooming power, extending the selling and display season far past older cultivars. Form stays tight and uniform without splitting open.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides an incredibly long-season, reliable nectar station for essential wild pollinators and butterflies.

Human Value: Delivers flawless, low-maintenance curb appeal and neat, year-round structure along sidewalks and driveways without needing a mower.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring after heavy winter freezes finish, or early autumn.

Spacing: Space individual starts 10 to 12 inches apart for swift groundcover coverage.

Location Tips: Position on an incline, rockery, or raised bed to guarantee flawless water drainage away from the root crown during winter.

Companion Plants: Pairs beautifully with Thrift (Armeria), Cranesbill (Geranium), Creeping Phlox, Dianthus 'Brilliant', and Coral Bells (Heuchera).

Care:

Light Requirements: Demands full sun to maintain high flower production and keep its evergreen foliage tightly knit and healthy.

Moisture Requirements: Needs moderate, regular watering during the first growing season to establish a deep, resilient root system; possesses high drought tolerance once mature.

Maintenance, Fertilization: Do not cut this plant back to the ground at the end of the season. Lightly trim the top layer of foliage right after the main spring flowering wave to encourage an immediate rebloom and preserve its tight, mounded structure. Feed with a weak, balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring; avoid nitrogen-rich plant foods.

Tolerances:

Punishing summer heat, severe drought once established, urban air pollution, coastal salt air, and browsing wildlife.

Tips For Success:

Thinning / Pinching: Not easily divided; propagate instead by taking softwood stem cuttings in summer if desired.

Support / Staking: Completely unnecessary; hugs the ground contour tightly.

Special Needs: Unlike older varieties, this series is engineered to flower heavily in its first year without needing a winter cooling period (vernalization).

Mulching: Protect the collar by mulching with a thin layer of grit or small pea gravel to prevent surface wetness.

Winter Protection: None required; its alpine evergreen genetics provide excellent frost and freezing protection.
Fruit Profile