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Size Guide

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

Evergreen Candytuft

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title
Bring the dazzling look of pure, fresh snowfall into the warmth of your spring garden. Iberis sempervirens forms a breathtakingly clean, low-growing cushion of glossy, deep-emerald leaves that completely vanishes beneath a solid, brilliant blanket of cloud-white blossoms. This absolute showstopper drapes itself elegantly over rock borders and stone pathways, signaling the end of winter with an intensely crisp, high-definition burst of light that brightens the entire landscape.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

6" - 12" H x 12" - 24" W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Low to Medium

Type:

Evergreen Woody Perennial / Subshrub

Growth Rate:

Moderate

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Candytuft, Evergreen Candytuft, Perennial Candytuft, and Edging Candytuft

Scientific Name:

Iberis sempervirens

Type:

Evergreen Groundcover / Spiller / Rock Garden Accent

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6" - 12" H x 12" - 24" W

Growth Habit: Spreading, mounded, and mat-forming.

Form: Neat, uniform, low-growing evergreen cushions.

Growth Rate: Medium.

Flowering Time: Early to late spring (typically April to June).

Flower Colour: Crisp, brilliant, stark white.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade (Blooms most intensely in full sun).

Soil Preferences: Prefers poor, gritty, sandy, or rocky soils with excellent drainage.

Soil Tolerance: Highly adaptable to alkaline, neutral, or poor soils, provided water moves through rapidly.

Watering: Provide light, routine watering during its first season; highly drought-resistant once the root system settles.

Container Role: Acts as an elite, crisp Spiller or tidy border framing element along the edges of stone troughs and patio planters.

Special Features:

Drought Tolerant: Possesses excellent resilience against short dry spells and hot summer periods once roots run deep.

Salt Tolerant: Highly resistant to winter road salt spray, making it an exceptional choice for driveway borders and curbside paths.

Deer & Rabbit Resistance: The leathery, bitter-tasting evergreen leaves are naturally ignored by foraging deer and rabbits.

Attracts: A vital, high-traffic nectar source for early spring butterflies, honeybees, and solitary pollinators.

Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Prolific, highly showy, flat-topped clusters of small four-petaled white flowers that completely cover the plant for up to 6 weeks.

Interest: Outstanding year-round structural asset; its rich, dark green needle-like foliage remains fully evergreen through freezing winter conditions, providing immediate structure as soon as the snow melts before erupting into its massive spring white canopy.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Offers a stunning dual effect, maintaining an attractive, deep green glossy mound all winter that turns into a solid sheets of pure white in spring.

Landscaping Uses: Exceptional for rock gardens, tucking into stone wall crevices, framing sunny walkway borders, massing on small banks, and softening the edges of raised beds.

Wildlife & Human Value:

  • Wildlife Value: Supplies crucial, easily accessible early-season nectar rewards for native pollinators emerging from winter hibernation.
  • Human Value: Eliminates the need for constant seasonal replanting, serves as a beautiful permanent frame for formal pathways, and provides exceptional curb appeal.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Plant early in the spring or in early autumn to establish roots in cool, accommodating weather.

Spacing: Space individual plugs 12" to 15" apart to allow them to fuse cleanly into a solid, weed-choking ribbon of colour.

Location Tips: Choose elevated areas, slopes, or gravel paths where gravity helps clear excess rainwater; avoid heavy clay low spots.

Companion Plants: Pairs magnificently with purple Creeping Phlox, yellow Basket-of-Gold, or early-blooming Tulips and Daffodils.

Care:

Light Requirements: Thrives best in full sun; needs at least 6 hours of unshaded daily sunlight to maximize bloom density and keep foliage tight.

Moisture Requirements: Requires sharp, rapid drainage; prefers dry to evenly moist conditions and will rot quickly if left sitting in heavy, wet soil.

Maintenance: Shear the entire plant back by one-third immediately after the spring flowering period ends; this keeps the center lush and prevents the habit from becoming woody or splitting open.

Fertilization: Feeds lightly; apply a very thin layer of organic compost or a light, slow-release balanced fertilizer in early spring before buds open.

Tolerances:

Tolerates severe drought, rocky or sandy soil, air pollution, road salt spray, deer, and rabbits.

Tips For Success:

The Post-Bloom Haircut: Never skip shearing it back after flowering; this forces fresh new green growth from the base and prevents the inner stems from dying out and turning brown.

Winter Wind Protection: In northern zones with extreme, open winter winds and no snow cover, drape a few evergreen boughs over the mound to prevent leaf desiccation.

No Heavy Mulching: Avoid piling heavy, moisture-trapping wood mulch directly on top of or against the creeping stems to keep them free from rot.

Fruit Profile