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Iberis sempervirens
Also called Perennial Candytuft, Edging Candytuft
Evergreen candytuft is a low, spreading evergreen subshrub, grown for its billowing mound of glossy leaves and clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and is drought tolerant once established.
Iberis sempervirens, the evergreen candytuft or perennial candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to southern Europe. The species is often used as an ornamental garden shrub because of its decorative flowers. Iberis is so named because many members of the genus come from the Iberian Peninsula in south west Europe. Sempervirens means "always green", referring to the evergreen foliage.
When grown in a garden it may require light pruning right after blooming, but otherwise plants can be left alone in fall and early spring. It is drought-tolerant once established. It prefers a well-drained site, so heavy clay soils that stay wet in winter should be avoided. It is not easily divided. Iberis sempervirens survives in USDA hardiness zones 3–9 with mean annual minimum temperatures of −23 to −21 °C (−10 to −5 °F).
It is hardy in most parts of the UK, surviving temperatures down to −15 °C (5 °F). Vernalization (a period of cold weather) is required for flower initiation. At least 8–10 weeks are needed at an average temperature of 5 °C (40 °F).
The natural range is in Europe in Spain, France, Italy, Romania and the Balkan Peninsula. In Africa, it is found in Morocco and Algeria. In Asia, it is present in Syria and Turkey. It is naturalised in the British Isles, in Assam, and in North America. It grows in steppes and dry forests on moderately dry to fresh, slightly acidic to alkaline, sandy-loamy to loamy, nutrient-rich soils in sunny to light shady locations. The species is heat loving and frost hardy.
Annual candytuft · Gibraltar candytuft · Iberis saxatilis · Candytuft
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iberis sempervirens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
