Evergreen Candytuft Purity

Evergreen Candytuft
Iberis sempervirens 'Purity'
(eye-BEER-is) (sem-per-VY-renz)

This plant is always nice to see in the early spring. It is wonderful for edging and the rock garden. It is extremely hardy but doesn’t like to be wet in the winter. Once established it can survive in hot and dry areas. There used to be several in the garden only a few survive today because of the deer. They seem to particularly relish this plant for some reason. This plant should be sheared immediately after flowering to promote bushiness and to remove the unattractive berries.

Evergreen Candytuft

Evergreen Candytuft
Iberis sempervirens
(eye-BEER-is) (sem-per-VY-renz)


Here is another plant that I can’t really grow because the deer love it. There has been a little patch growing on the Estate in some cracks in the rock work. If it sticks head above the rocks it gets munched. It has kind of adapted to that and flowers below the rocks but hasn’t been able to spread. In general it likes soil that is average and it has be well draining. Iberis is a good choice for the rock garden or for edging along paths and borders. The early flowers are a nice splash of white and it should be sheared lightly to tidy it up after the first heavy spring bloom. It will flower sporadically during the rest of the season. Candytuft can be grown in light shade but will not flower as much as when planted in full sun. Generally I have found to be a plant that when it is happy and well sited it grows well and puts on a good show.