Candytuft - A Plant of the Brassicaceae Family
Published · Flower Resource
Candytuft is an evergreen perennial that is a 12 to 18 inch flowering beauty. This plant is a European native. This flower is generally white in color but many cultivars have pink or lilac blooms. These are delicate flowers that appear in early spring through summer and sometimes rebloom in fall. They are the members if Brassicaceae family. Their names refer not just to Candy but also to Candia as it was former name of Iraklion on the island of Crete. Candytuft is a low growing plant which has woody stem and needle like leaves. They are of different colors like white, pink, purple, red and bicolor blooms.
The name of this plant is Candytuft because of its blossom shape that resembles the tufts of the candy. Also the word tuft is translated as a cluster of flowers. In the language of flowers candytuft can symbolize different traits and qualities like indifference, stoic beauty and sweetness. Thus you can gift a bouquet of candytuft to your loved ones on happy occasions like birthday or anniversary celebration.
Uses of Candytuft
- These flowers look lovely draping from a hanging basket or spilling over a wall.
- They can also be used to cover up the declining foliage of early spring blooming bulbs.
- It was used in colonial times as remedy for stomach ailments, gout, rheumatism and respiratory illnesses.
- They were used to treat some other ailments like arthritis and gastroenteritis.
- Because of its elegant cluster forms it is often used in wedding bouquets.
Interesting Facts
- The annual varieties of this plant are Rocket Candytuft or Globe Candytuft and perennial variety if Autumn Snow when the flowers grow again in fall.
- Its flowers are fragrant and are attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.
- American herbalists extract the flowers to make herbal tea that creates a soothing and relaxing effect.
- Candytuft blooms from mid spring to summer and some of the varieties also re bloom in fall.
Soil Needed
- It requires draining alkaline soil.
- It also requires sunny location.
- The Ph of the soil should be above 7.5.
How to Plant?
- You can grow candytuft through both seeds and cuttings and it is easy to grow them through this.
- You can sow the seeds directly in to the flower bed when the soil is little warm.
- You can also propagate the plants by softwood cuttings of existing plants during midsummer.
- The flower can grow well in different garden spots especially in rock gardens as ground cover.
- Root division of this difficult because the stem of the plant breaks easily.
Maintenance and Care
- Candytuft is a low maintenance plant.
- To avoid woodiness of the stem, cut the entire plant back to ground level once the blooms are spent.
- Do this once every other year to avoid making this beauty becoming too tall with spindly growth.
- Fertilizer is required by the plant just once a month.
- Plant is free from pests and disease so insecticide is not necessary.