List 12 – Iberis umbellata
Iberis umbellata (globe candytuft)
Family: Brassicaceae
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Size:
- 6-10 inches wide
- 12-16 inches tall
Form:
- Bushy
Soil & Water requirements:
- Requires a dry site
- Protection from the north-east in Vancouver is best, to avoid oversaturation in the rainy winter
- Well-drained soil
Exposure:
- Full sun
Leaves:
- Slender leaves
- Deciduous
Flowers:
- Flowers born in an umbel (radiating from a single point)
- Variety of colours, including: white and a range of purples and pinks; all in the same seed mixture
- This makes for an interesting hardy annual, because each year the colour combinations change slightly
- Bloom period: May – September
Fruit:
- Brown, seed pods
- Trick: remove and spread back within mix to encourage continued growth for the next year
- Note: seed must stay dry; it will rot if too wet and then not germinate
Suitable uses:
- Beds
- Border plantings
- Cut flowers
- Cottage and informal gardens
Attracts:
- Pollinated by bees
- Noted for attracting wildlife
Propagation:
- Easy to propagate by seed
- Scatter seed on loose soil in the spring; ensure that conditions are dry
- Blooms quickly; within weeks from seeding
Other:
- Considered a hardy annual because it often self-seeds; in warmer zones it acts more like a perennial, and in colder zones as an annual