Iberis Absolutely Amethyst

Description

Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ – candytuft

Botanical name: Iberis sempervirens ‘Absolutely Amethyst’
Common names: Perennial candytuft, evergreen candytuft
Family: Brassicaceae
Plant type: Evergreen perennial
Habit: Low, spreading, mound-forming
Pot size: 1 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 20–25cm tall × 30–40cm spread
Foliage: Neat, dark evergreen foliage
Flowers: Clustered flowers opening amethyst-purple, spring (April–May)
Scent: Lightly scented
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained; tolerates lime and poor soil; neutral to alkaline
Hardiness: RHS H5 (hardy, to about −15°C); USDA zones 5–9
Exposure: Open, sunny
Native range: Species native to southern Europe
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ is a perennial candytuft with evergreen foliage smothered in spring by clustered flowers opening amethyst-purple. Compact and tidy, it is ideal for sunny rockeries, edging and tumbling over walls.

GardenAdvice notes

A low, spreading evergreen perennial in the cabbage family, candytuft forms neat mounds of dark green foliage smothered in flower in spring. Tough, reliable and long-lived, it thrives in poor, well-drained, limy soil in full sun and is excellent for rockeries, walls and the front of borders.

Growing & planting

Plant in autumn or spring in full sun in well-drained soil, including poor and limy ground; improve heavy soil with grit. It is ideal at the top of a wall or bank where it can spill over, and in rockeries and border edges. Space about 30cm apart.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Trim it over lightly after flowering to keep it compact and prevent it going woody and bare. Water only while establishing. Avoid rich feeding and wet soil. It is evergreen, so it earns its place year-round.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take softwood cuttings in early summer, after the post-flowering trim.
• Seed: Sow seed in spring; species come true, named forms are best from cuttings.
• Division: Carefully divide or detach rooted pieces in autumn.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free. It can become woody and open with age if not trimmed, and dislikes wet, heavy soil. Otherwise little troubled by pests or disease.

Uses in the garden

Ideal cascading over dry stone walls and raised beds, in rockeries and gravel gardens, and edging sunny borders and paths, giving a bright spring display and year-round evergreen structure.

Wildlife value

The nectar-rich spring flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and other early pollinators.

Toxicity & safety

Candytuft is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

Unusually for a candytuft, ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ opens in soft purple-pink shades rather than the usual white, giving a fresh twist on a reliable old favourite. Trim it over lightly after flowering to keep it dense and prevent it going leggy, and enjoy the evergreen foliage carrying interest through the rest of the year.

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