for March, 1922 



75 



Hardy Iberis — Candytuft 



RICHARD ROTHE 



BOTH the annual and perennial garden species of 

 Iberis — a genus of the order Cnicifcnv — on account 

 of their usefulness for edging purposes, enjoy 

 world-wide popularity. As natives of South Europe and 

 Western Asia, taking kindly to our climate and condi- 

 tions, they proved of easy culture and in the jiroduction 



llhTis stylosa, syn. Tlilaspi stylosiim. (Courtesy of Alpinuui 

 Kymphctihiirg.) 



of flowers they are as abundantly free as we see them 

 abroad. Closely related to the hardy evergreen class of 

 Iberis, and for this reason in European catalogs some- 

 times listed as such, are the two alpines : JEthioncma and 

 Thlaspi. Though hardly known on our hemisphere they 

 have in common with the Iberis a wonderful adaptability 

 for dry wall and rockgarden plantings. 



Of the hardy candytufts the well known species Iberis 

 scmpcri'irens leads in hardiness and dense bushy growth 

 of the pure white ones. The varieties Garrcxiana, Per- 

 fection. Snowflake and siiperba, as improved types of 

 scivt^rr:iynis. arc claimed to he more nr le^= larger flnw- 



Ibcris sciii['Lrzirt'ns. 



ering. Little Gem, identical with Weisser Zwerg. a 

 dwarfy compact growing variety, is the ideal thing for 

 sunny rockeries of diminutive sizes. All the hitherto 

 mentioned begin to bloom in April, continuing according 

 to latitude throughout ]\Iay and part of June. 



Iberis cnrrccfolia. seniperfiorens and the purplish-suf- 



fused Tcnorcaiia are more adapted for the South. The 

 same may be said of Iberis Gibrultariea, a stately growing 

 species, with, at the base, woody branches and large 

 corymbose heads of white flowers beautifully suffused 

 with pinkish and reddish hues. Throughout the Middle 

 Atlantic and Northern States those species need careful 

 A\"inter protection and more or less sheltered positions. 



Iiiieris Jiicunda. syn. SEthioiiema cordifolinm, a pink- 

 flowering species from the Lebanon and Tlilaspi alpcstre, 

 white ; rotundifoliitm, light violet and Thlaspi stylosmn, 

 .syn. Iberis stylosa, with pink corymbose heads are low- 

 growing Alpines found in botanical gardens and in the 

 collections of European amateurs. 



Hardy candytufts are best raised from seeds planted 

 early in Spring under glass. When of sufficient size 

 transplant out in the open ground in garden soil, prefer- 

 ably sandy loam deeply dug. For enrichment use old 

 well decomposed barnyard manure or some leafmold. 

 Move established stock on permanent place of flowering 



Iberis corractoliu. 



1)efore October 1st or early in April. JEtliioncnia and 

 Thlaspi appreciate slight addition of crushed or ground 

 limestone to soil. Hardy candytufts may be also propa- 

 gated by cuttings during Spring and early Summer. 

 Ileing evergreens hardy Iberis require Winter protection, 

 |ireferably leaf covering, thickness according to latitude 

 'jf location. 



Success in life may be nearly always measured by the 

 imount of initiative shown in doing one's work. This 

 onquering and elevating force must come from within, 

 and is the development of a genuine desire to keep from 

 becoming lost in the crowd ; a will to do those things in 

 hand as though the whole future depended upon the 

 result. Difficult tasks become easier to the individual 

 showing initiative, because he or she leaves the beaten 

 path and finds a better solution, gaining at the end of 

 the day a reward of sheer personal happiness at having 

 accomplished something worth while in spite of all ob- 

 stacles. — N. C. R. Progress. 



