How to Grow and Care for Candytuft

Candytuft is a flowering woody subshrub, though it is sometimes categorized as a perennial known for its clusters of small, multi-petaled white or pastel flowers. Candytuft grows best in drier, less humid conditions and requires full to partial sun, well-draining soil of any pH, and grows in a variety of temperatures. Candytuft is slightly toxic to humans.

Candytuft Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing candytuft.

• Plant in the sun with some shade during the hottest times of the day.
• Place in gravely, well-drained soil that is a little more alkaline but the plant can tolerate other pH levels.
• Water younger plants in dry periods but the plant becomes drought-tolerant as it matures.
  

Light

Candytuft will tolerate some shade but blooms best when planted in the sun. The exception is zones 8 and 9, where it benefits from some shade in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day.

Soil

Candytuft is native to southern Europe, including areas along the Mediterranean coast; they prefer the kind of gravelly soil found in their land of origin. More importantly, it is critical to provide them with excellent drainage. Because candytuft craves well-drained soils, it is perfect for rock gardens. This perennial prefers to be grown in​ the ground with a soil pH that is on the alkaline side, but it has good tolerance for both slightly acidic and neutral soils.

Water

Once established, candytuft flowers are moderately drought-tolerant, but make sure to water young plants, particularly during dry periods. Well-established plants have no trouble going two or three weeks between waterings, making the candytuft plant a good choice for xeriscaping.

Temperature and Humidity

Candytuft is usually considered hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, though this has different meanings depending on where you live. It's evergreen in warm zones, a hardy perennial in cool zones, and borderline annual in the extreme cold of zone 3 unless it's well mulched for the winter.

The natural environment for candytuft tends to have drier air conditions. For that reason, it's not recommended for areas with high humidity such as the southeastern United States, as the flowers tend to wilt and fungal diseases are more likely.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing candytuft is not necessary but can help ensure abundant blooms. A slow-release fertilizer will help candytuft grow if applied in early spring. Choose a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous mix for best results. For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.

Types of Candytuft

Here are a few popular varieties of candytuft:

• 'Purity': Sparkling white flowers can reach 10 inches in height with a slightly greater spread.
• 'Nana': This shorter cultivar reaches a height of 6 inches and has lovely white blooms.
• 'Autumn Snow': This well-named cultivar reblooms in the fall.
• 'Pink Ice': A springtime favorite, it bears pink-colored blossoms with dark pink centers.
• 'Alexander's White': This low-growing form has finely textured foliage.
• 'Little Gem': A true dwarf form, it grows only 6 inches tall.
• 'Purity': This 8-inch-tall variety is very wide-spreading.
• 'Snowflake': Unusually large flower clusters have broader, more leathery leaves.
  

Pruning

To keep candytuft looking tidy, prune away the top one-third of the foliage after blooming—this will keep the plant from getting leggy. Some gardeners like to perform deadheading on candytuft with a string trimmer after flowering is complete. Without this annual pruning, the plant can become rather scraggly in the border garden.

However, if you are planting candytuft flowers behind a retaining wall, legginess may actually be a good quality. In this case, prune them only if you think the stems are getting too woody-looking. Pruning will spawn new, fresh growth.

Propagating Candytuft

In warmer regions, the plant renews itself through the stems that root themselves around the mother plant. In colder regions, where the plant is more likely to die back to the ground each winter, dividing the roots every few years is the best propagation method. Stem cuttings are not recommended since this method takes some time. Here's how to divide roots.

1. In fall, just before the plants begin winter dormancy, use a shovel to dig up the entire root clump.
2. Use a sharp knife or garden trowel to divide the clump into two or three pieces. Make sure each section has both stems and a healthy clump of roots.
3. Immediately replant the pieces into their new locations, into soil that has been well loosened and (if necessary) amended to improve its drainage.

How to Grow Candytuft From Seed

The native species of candytuft can be propagated by seeds collected from the seed pods left behind after the flowers fade. But named cultivars usually do not "come true" from their seeds, so vegetative propagation (see above for root division) is the best method for propagating those varieties.

To grow seeds of the pure species, start them indoors in small containers or direct sow them into the garden in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Take these steps.

1. Sow the seeds about 1 inch deep in well-loosened soil, then water well.
2. Keep the seeds moist until they sprout, and continue regular watering until the plants are well established.
3. Although mature plants can reach up to 18 inches, sow seeds about 6 inches apart to create a ground cover effect more quickly when growing from seed.

Potting and Repotting Candytuft

Candytufts can be grown in containers, but rarely are because they aren't attractive after blooming, they have an unpleasant fragrance, and they take some time to fill a spacious container. If you do want to grow them in pots, choose a fairly spacious, large container with good drainage, and fill it with standard potting soil blended with sand or fine gravel to improve its drainage.

Like any perennial grown in a container, potted candytuft requires somewhat more watering than if it were planted in the ground. Overwinter a potted candytuft plant by moving it to a sheltered location or dig it into the garden up to the lip of the pot for the winter. Because it is slow-growing, it only needs to be repotted every few years.

Overwintering

In regions where the plant performs as a standard perennial and dies back fully in winter, trim off the stems to 3 or 4 inches once frost has killed the leaves.

Some gardeners in cold regions (zones 3, 4) gently place pine boughs over the plants in late fall to shelter them from the cold, drying winds of winter. A 1- to 2-inch layer of standard mulch will have the same effect. In warmer regions, no winter protection is needed.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Most insect pests leave candytuft alone, though you may have problems with slugs, snails, and caterpillars, all of which can take some time and various methods to get under control.

The most common disease issue with candytuft is root rot, which is common when the plant struggles in poorly drained, boggy soil. Badly affected plants should be removed. A variety of fungal diseases are occasion problems, including down mildew, powdery mildew, gray mold, rust, and fungal leaf spots. Rarely fatal, fungal diseases are more likely in humid conditions where air circulation is poor. If the disfiguring appearance is deemed intolerable, these infections can be treated with a fungicidal spray.

How to Get Candytuft to Bloom

Bloom Months

Candytuft blooms profusely for several weeks in late spring and early summer.

What Does a Candytuft Flower Look and Smell Like?

Candytuft brightens gardens with abundant white or pink blossoms in a flat-topped raceme of tiny petals about 2 inches wide. The color of the blossoms stands out nicely against the backdrop of the dark green foliage and also makes these plants a good choice for moon gardens. The flowers usually do not smell sweet and gardeners either appreciate or dislike the cabbage-like scent of candytuft.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Provided your plant is getting plenty of sunlight and is growing in well-drained soil, candytuft usually doesn't need encouragement to bloom. A light feeding with a phosphorus-rich fertilizer in the early spring can help maximize blooming. If a candytuft plant does not bloom as expected, it sometimes is because the plant is being overwatered—exceptionally rainy spring weather, for example, can cause a disappointing bloom season.

Deadheading Candytuft Flowers

Extend the bloom period by fully deadheading candytuft flower stalks after the blooms fade. You may be able to force a second flush of flowers later in the summer if you severely prune back all stems by a full one-third of their length.

Common Problems With Candytuft

Candytuft is generally a fairly trouble-free plant, provided its growing environment is suitable. But you may witness the following problems.

Yellowed Leaves

A candytuft plant that develops yellow leaves is often responding to conditions that are too hot, too wet, or too humid. While you can't control the temperature, watering in the morning only can help reduce the humidity that can cause yellowing leaves.

Stunted Growth

A plant that seems stunted may be suffering from clubroot, a fungal disease that affects members of the Brassicaceae family, including cabbages. If you dig up a plant with these symptoms, you usually can identify deformed roots. Affected plants must be removed and destroyed.