Plant of the Week – Candytuft

Do you have poor garden soil and a rocky site? Many of us do and wonder what type of plant to use. Candytuft is an excellent choice for such conditions. Candytuft has its ?roots? in the Iberian peninsula or Spain as the scientific name indicates. The second part of the name ?sempervirens? means ?always green? in Latin, and is evergreen year-round in your gardens.

Candytuft actually is a small woody shrub hardy from zones 3-9, but has been grouped as a herbaceous perennial. It grows best in full sun and a well-drained soil especially in winter. Candytuft grows 6-12? high and 24? wide at maturity and grows slow. Clusters of white flowers appear from late winter to late spring into early summer. In mild winters, they can flower in the middle of January. Relatively free from diseases and insects, it may get club root, which attacks many members of the mustard family. Space plants 12-18? apart when first planting (closer for faster coverage). Woody stems should be cut back about every two years to maintain a thick carpet-like appearance.

Candytuft does especially well as a massed groundcover in rock gardens or as a border plant to give distinction between turf and bed areas. This plant would also do well on a hard to mow area mixed with other flowering groundcovers like phlox. For further questions, call Patrick Haller at Quality Trees, Inc. at 931-261-5885.