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Size Guide

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

Rock Soapwort

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$6.99
Title

Picture a vibrant, cascading carpet of hundreds of five-petaled, starry pink blossoms blanketing your garden beds. This low-growing beauty forms dense, lush mats of small, oval, olive-green leaves that completely disappear under a sea of bright pink blooms during its peak season. Its trailing habit allows it to soften harsh edges gracefully, spilling over stone walls, rockeries, or container edges like a living pink waterfall. It creates an instant, breathtaking visual impact that transforms simple garden spaces into charming, English-cottage-style landscapes.

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Plant Details

Mature Size:

15–23 cm H x 30–61 cm W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Medium

Type:

Perennial

Growth Rate:

Fast

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Rock Soapwort, Tumbling Ted, Red Soapwort

Scientific Name:

Saponaria ocymoides

Type:

Spiller, Filler, Groundcover

Growth Details:

Growth Rate: Fast-growing.

Growth Habit: Spreading, creeping groundcover.

Flowering: Profuse, flat, five-petaled star-shaped blossoms.

Flowering Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June).

Flower Colour: Bright pink to rose-purple.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun to very light afternoon dappled shade.

Soil Preferences: Lean, rocky, sandy, or gritty soils with neutral to alkaline pH.

Soil Tolerance: Tolerates poor fertility, chalk, and shallow, rocky soils.

Watering: Water deeply but infrequently; allow the top few inches of soil to dry completely.

Container Role: Spiller (cascades beautifully over the rims of pots and window boxes).

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Highly resistant to most common plant diseases when grown in well-drained soil.

Fast Growing: Quickly fills in bare spots and drapes over garden structures within one to two seasons.

Attracts: Butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insect pollinators.

Uses: Rock gardens, xeriscaping, slopes, container accents, and green roofs.

Resistance: Deer and rabbit resistant; highly drought-tolerant.

Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Highly showy, dense blankets of pink flowers in late spring.

Fall Colour: Olive-green foliage remains semi-evergreen in milder winter zones, though it may bronze slightly in the cold.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Mass production of pink flowers and neat, semi-evergreen foliage mats.

Landscaping Uses: Ideal for rock gardens, alpine beds, stone wall crevices, pathway edging, and erosion control on sunny slopes.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Acts as a dense, weed-suppressing living mulch and provides excellent groundcover for hot, dry, difficult locations.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides an abundant, vital early-season nectar source for native bees, honeybees, and butterflies.

Human Value: Historically, the roots were boiled to create a mild, bubbly soap (hence the name "Soapwort"). Today, it provides immense aesthetic value, low-maintenance erosion control, and high water-wise gardening utility.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring or early autumn.

Spacing: Plant 12 to 18 inches apart to allow the mats room to spread and fill in.

Location Tips: Pick a spot with sharp drainage (like a raised bed or slope). Protect from harsh, drying winter winds if snow cover is minimal.

Companion Plants: Pairs beautifully with Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox), Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-Summer), Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks), and low-growing Sedums.

Care:

Light Requirements: Thrives in bright, unobstructed full sun; becomes leggy in shade.

Moisture Requirements: Needs excellent drainage; hates soggy roots and standing water.

Maintenance: Cut back by half after the main flush of blooms finishes to keep the plant compact and encourage a potential light rebloom.

Fertilization: Feed once in early spring with a light, balanced, slow-release fertilizer. Avoid over-fertilizing, as rich soil causes floppy growth.

Tolerances:

Drought, Dry Soil, Poor, Nutrient-Deficient Soil, Deer and Rabbits, Black Walnut Toxicity

Tips For Success:

Pinching / Shearing: Always shear the plant back sharply with garden shears right after flowering to prevent it from becoming woody and bare in the center.

Support: Needs no staking or physical support; relies on gravity to trail downward.

Mulching: Avoid organic mulches (like wood chips) that hold moisture around the crown. Use gravel, grit, or pea stone mulch instead.

Winter Protection: In Zone 3 and 4, provide a light covering of evergreen boughs in late winter to protect the foliage from sunscald and frost heave.

Fruit Profile