Growing an Iberis in a pot

Which Iberis to plant in pots?

Iberis belongs to the Brassicaceae family and comprises around fifty species. From spring to summer, this perennial plant forms rounded cushions, and its small evergreen green leaves are covered with a myriad of tiny clusters of flowers in white, pink, and purple. When grown in pots, iberis creates delightful bright floral displays.
For pot planting, all species of iberis can be used due to their compact size. You can for example choose:

• Iberis sempervirens, also known as Silver Basket. It has a long flowering period, from March to October, covered in white flowers and reaches 25 cm in height.
• Iberis sempervirens ‘Snowflake’. Small in size, reaching 15 cm tall, it offers a profusion of bright white flowers from March to May.
• Iberis sempervirens ‘Pink Ice’. Also small, at 25 cm in height, it produces pale pink flowers with a hint of lilac from April to June.
• Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’. Reaching a height of 30 cm, it produces purple flowers from May to June.
• Iberis umbellata ‘Fairy mixed’ or dwarf candytuft. It measures 20 cm at maturity and blooms with countless flowers ranging from white to dark pink from June to September.

Iberis umbellata ‘Fairy mixed’, Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ and Iberis sempervirens

Where and when to plant Iberis in pots?

Install your iberis in a pot in full sun and plant it between mid-September and November.

For iberis purchased in pots, you can plant them at any time of the year, except during heatwaves and frost.

How to grow Iberis in a pot?

What type of pot?

All types of pots are suitable for planting an iberis. The choice will depend on your aesthetic preference. However, clay and stone pots allow for better water evaporation, which is beneficial for iberis.

What substrate?

Iberis prefers a well-drained substrate, without standing water. You can plant it in a substrate composed of half potting soil and half gravel or sand.

Planting

• Choose a pot that is wider than it is deep to ensure good drainage. Adjust the pot’s width to the spread of the iberis at ripeness, which varies between 25 and 40 cm depending on the species.
• Remove the iberis from its pot and immerse it in water to hydrate it well.
• Place a drainage layer of gravel or clay balls at the bottom of the perforated pot.
• Then spread a layer of substrate
• Install the iberis and cover with the remaining substrate, pressing down well to avoid air pockets.
• Water thoroughly for good establishment.

How to care for Iberis in pots?

Watering

• Iberis being a rock garden plant, it requires little watering and minimal maintenance.
• Water the iberis occasionally, allowing the substrate to dry well between waterings.

Fertiliser

In open ground, iberis does not need fertiliser, but in pots, it can be beneficial to add some to encourage flowering.

Pruning

• Remove faded flowers as they appear to encourage another wave of flowering.
• When the flowering period is over, carry out light pruning of the iberis to maintain its rounded bush habit.

Repotting and Division of Stumps

• Between mid-August and the end of September, you can carry out the division of stumps to obtain new iberis plants.
• Select vigorous plants and cut a piece of root with a knife disinfected with alcohol
• Retrieve the new stump and install it immediately in another pot.
• Water generously.

Additionally, discover in this article all our tips on repotting plants.

Diseases and Pests

Very resilient, iberis is not afraid of diseases or pests. Its only weak point is humidity, which can be corrected with good drainage.

For further reading

Discover our complete sheet on iberis, as well as our complete collection of iberis!

And to avoid any failures, we recommend planting appropriately. Feel free to adopt our Plantfit web application!