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Candytuft
Iberis sempervirens
Candytuft blooms from April through May.
This entry comes from our curated library and has not yet been independently checked against outside sources. Curated is not unreliable: a standing audit keeps every entry internally consistent, and the source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open.
Growing Candytuft
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 10 in tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Candytuft
Plant Candytuft in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Good to know about Candytuft
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
The usual way to kill candytuft is kindness: it wants lean, sharply drained soil and rots at the crown in wet, heavy ground. When unsure, water less. per NC State and Clemson
Zone range varies by source
Sources differ at the ends. All overlap at zones 4 to 8, the reliable core; zone 3 needs snow cover and zone 9 is marginal in humid heat. per NC State and Clemson
Shear after flowering
Shear the plant back by about one-third right after spring bloom. It is not just tidy: skip it and the plant opens up, goes woody and leggy, and declines. per NC State and Clemson
Feeds early pollinators
An early-spring nectar source that feeds butterflies and beneficial insects when little else is in bloom. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone; it appears on lists of ground covers not favored by deer. No plant is deer-proof under heavy pressure. per Wisconsin and Missouri
Evergreen, semi-evergreen when cold
Its narrow, leathery leaves stay green through winter for year-round structure, though in cold northern climates it turns semi-evergreen and the foliage can scorch. per NC State and Illinois
What pairs well with Candytuft
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Butterfly Bush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 6.6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the white.
Cosmos
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Mullein
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Red Hot Poker
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Smokebush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 9.8 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the white.
Cleome
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Asiatic Lily
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Beautyberry
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4.9 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
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