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Candytuft
Iberis sempervirens
Also comes in pink.
Candytuft blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Candytuft
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 10 in tall and 20 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for Candytuft. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Candytuft
Plant Candytuft in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Candytuft get?
10 intall5 ft 7 inan adult20 inwideSee Candytuft in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Candytuft
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Candytuft about 20 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Candytuft to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Candytuft's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 20, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticutsun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- idiggreenacres.comGreen Acres Nursery & Supplyheight, spread and water
- Oregon State Universityheight
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight
- University of Illinois Extensionheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Candytuft
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
The usual way to kill candytuft is kindness: it wants lean, sharply drained soil and rots at the crown in wet, heavy ground. When unsure, water less. per NC State and Clemson
Zone range varies by source
Sources differ at the ends. All overlap at zones 4 to 8, the reliable core; zone 3 needs snow cover and zone 9 is marginal in humid heat. per NC State and Clemson
Shear after flowering
Shear the plant back by about one-third right after spring bloom. It is not just tidy: skip it and the plant opens up, goes woody and leggy, and declines. per NC State and Clemson
Feeds early pollinators
An early-spring nectar source that feeds butterflies and beneficial insects when little else is in bloom. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone; it appears on lists of ground covers not favored by deer. No plant is deer-proof under heavy pressure. per Wisconsin and Missouri
Evergreen, semi-evergreen when cold
Its narrow, leathery leaves stay green through winter for year-round structure, though in cold northern climates it turns semi-evergreen and the foliage can scorch. per NC State and Illinois
What pairs well with Candytuft
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Butterfly Bush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 6.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the white.
Cosmos
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Mullein
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Smokebush
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 10 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the white.
Cleome
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Delphinium
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; taller at 4.5 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the white.
Hollyhock
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; stands well above at 6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the white.
Jasmine
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; climbs to 10 ft behind it, height without the footprint; its white flowers settle the white.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.