Guide to growing garden plants - Iberis (annual) Annual Candytuft

Iberis can be grown as either hardy annuals or perennials in the garden; this page of plant biology advice provides information on how to grow annual Iberis.

These plants reach from 30 to 40cm in height, making them good for use in rock gardens and at the front of garden borders.

They flower from early summer to the first frost of winter if you sow them sequentially.

Iberis has lance shaped leaves and fragrant umbels of flowers that may be pink, red, purple or white in colour.

Some of the common names fro Iberis include Annual Candytuft, Rocket Candytuft and Globe Candytuft.

How to grow Annual Candytuft

When growing Annual Candytuft outdoors from seeds they should be sown every 10 days or so. Start this sowing process from the last frost of spring until the middle of summer. The seeds of Candytuft should be planted at about 3mm deep into a sunny part of the garden. Iberis species like to have a soil that is slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6 to 7) and good drainage; the soil type is not to important.

If you want to first grow Candytuft indoors, then start the process about two months before they are due to be transplanted in the garden, from the last frost until summer; put out about two weeks apart for continuous blooms. it will take about two or three weeks to germinate at a temperature of 21 to 30 degrees Centigrade.

Caring for Annual Candytuft

Once growing it is important to water annual Candytuft and other Iberis members regularly. It is best to let the soil become dry, then water again; and repeat this cycle. Following flowering a light trim will lead to more flowers, as soon as plants appear to be dying then remove them for the garden and replace with new Candytuft plants.