Evergreen Candytuft or Candytuft

(Brassicaceae [also known as Cruciferae] - Mustard Family)

Form

• miniature herbaceous evergreen perennial
• maturing at about 10" tall by 2' wide
• procumbent mound growth habit

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• prefers moist, well-drained soils of average fertility in full sun, with a mulch to lessen Winter freeze-thaw cycles affecting the evergreen foliage and relatively shallow root system
• propagated by rooted stem cuttings, crown division, or seeds
• Mustard Family, with club root and crown rot being the primary disease problems
• commonly available in containers
• handle carefully when transplanting, shearing, or removing blown leaves, as the stems are somewhat easily unattached from the crown
• shear back one-third to one-half of the top growth just after flowering, to prevent fruit set, promote immediate dense new growth that will set floral buds for the following season, and prevent the center of the plant from being exposed due to stem lodging
• if it is a well-established plant that has not been divided, a few entire stems may be removed every year for the purpose of thinning
• winterburn and bleaching of the top layer of foliage can be prevented by lightly covering the perennial with evergreen boughs in Winter (such as from used Christmas trees in late December) and removing them in early Spring

Foliage

• evergreen, glossy, alternate, linear to narrow lanceolate leaves are about 1" long

Flowers

• inflorescences that blanket the plant in early April are composed of many white flowers, each with four petals (with the lower two petals much larger and opening first, for a "rabbit ears" appearance)

Fruits

• unnattractive flattened green fruits turn to a faded tan and persist throughout the growing season if not sheared off

Twigs

• herbaeous green stems become semi-woody and brown with age

Trunk

• not applicable

ID Summary

• linear dark evergreen foliage is arranged alternately on the lighter green stems, with the perennial having a prostrate growth habit and flowering heavily in Spring with pure white inflorescences, where the first two petals of the four-petaled flowers expand first, for a "rabbit ears" or "popcorn" effect

USAGE

Function

• edging, bed, foundation, or rock garden perennial; effectively used in situations where a low or cascading perennial is needed

Texture

• fine texture
• thick density

Assets

• showy white early-Spring flowers
• fine-textured, dark evergreen linear foliage
• excellent edging or cascading perennial

Liabilities

• needs shearing immediately after flowering to promote compactness, reduce fruit set, and facilitate excellent flowering for the following season
• stems are easily broken off at the crown during transplant handling, or when raking leaves from around the plant during Autumn
• tends to develop crown rot or club root with age

Habitat

• zones 3 to 9
• native to Southern Europe and Western Asia

SELECTIONS

Alternates

• fine-textured evergreen perennials for an edging, cascading, or groundcover effect (Aurinia saxatilis, Phlox subulata, Saponaria ocymoides, Thymus x citriodorus, etc.)
• other low-spreading perennials with showy flowering (Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila', Campanula carpatica, Geranium sanguineum, Platycodon grandiflorus 'Sentimental Blue', etc.)
• other evergreen perennials(Cytisus, Lavandula angustifolia, Opuntia humifusa, Sedum album, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sempervivum, etc.)

Variants

• Iberis sempervirens 'Autumn Snow' - flowering heavily in Spring and significantly in Autumn
• Iberis sempervirens 'Purity' - pure white inflorescences are much more dense, and the growth habit is more compact

NOTES

Translation

• Iberis is named after Iberia (a region of Spain), because many members of the genus come from the Iberian Penninsula.
• sempervirens translates as "always green", referring to the evergreen foliage.

Purpose

• Evergreen Candytuft is a fine-textured, low-growing perennial with evergreen foliage and showy white inflorescences in Spring.

Summary

• Iberis sempervirens is an early Spring white-flowering perennial with linear evergreen foliage, effectively used in edging or cascading situations.