Iberis amara seed Bitter Candytuft seeds
LATIN NAME: Iberis amara
COMMON NAME: Bitter Candytuft
The bitter candytuft sets its small, white or lilac, four-petalled flowers in the flat-topped clusters above the narrow leaves, and the whole plant stands in the low, neat clumps. The low, bushy, annual or biennial plant carries the narrow, lance-shaped, dark-green leaves and the small, white, pink or lilac, four-petalled flowers in the flat-topped, rounded clusters through the late spring, one of the fine, bright sights of the border, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, rounded, flattened seed pods. The plant is a fine, generous presence of the border, and it is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bitter candytuft is a historic subject of the plant science, and the flat-topped clusters keep showing up in the work on the border annuals. The way the small, white, pink or lilac, four-petalled flowers form in the flat-topped, rounded clusters above the narrow leaves has been examined closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the border annuals, the four-petalled flowers and the members of the cabbage family. The narrow leaves and the neat habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the bitter candytuft is a regular subject of the work on the flat-topped clusters of the cool world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The bitter candytuft is a fine, bright plant of the border and the study collection. The small, white, pink or lilac, four-petalled flowers in the flat-topped, rounded clusters open through the late spring, one of the fine, bright sights of the border, drawing the bees, and the narrow, lance-shaped, dark-green leaves carry the fine, neat look of the old gardens, while the small, rounded, flattened seed pods follow the flowers. It is one of the fine choices for the border, the edging and the study collection, and it has been written about in the horticultural and the botanical papers for the flat-topped clusters and the neat ways. It is a fine, bright plant of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained garden.
Give the young plants the deep, well-drained bed, and the flat-topped clusters will open through the late spring.
To grow the bitter candytuft from seed, sow the small, brown seeds just under the surface of the pot of fine, gritty soil, keep the pot in a bright, open spot and water gently, then thin the seedlings to the neat clumps. The seedlings are up within a couple of weeks and grow on fast. With the sun and the deep, well-drained ground, the flat-topped clusters will open through the late spring.
Annual growing to 35 cm. Great as a cut flower and for borders.Sow Candytuft seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/8" of fine soil. Space seeds or seedlings 8-10" apart. Candytuft are very easy to grow. They prefer full to partial sun and a well drained soil. They will do well in average or poor soils, and tolerate dry soil conditions. They are perfect for rock gardens. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Add a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season.