A Ground Cover of Flowers

Purple rock cress is aptly named.

Purple rock cress do well in full sun to light shade.

A white flowered rock cress provides a floriferous ground cover for spring flowering bulbs, like this Purple Prince tulip.

The individual flowers have only four petals surrounding yellow stamens.

There are numerous bright white cultivars.

Flowers from a common purple rock cress.

​Common Name: aubretia, purple rock cress
Botanical Name: Aubrieta deltoidea
Form:   prostrate, low spreading
Family: Brassiceae (mustard family)
Genus: Aubrieta 
Species: deltoidea
Plant Type:  evergreen, herbaceous perennial
Mature Size: 2 foot spread, ground hugging
Growth: fast
Origin: Southern Europe to central Asia
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
Foliage: evergreen, green oval shaped often lobed
Flowers: pink, violet or white flowers with four petals
Fruit: hairy 2 cm silique (a long capsule that splits open)  
Exposure: fun sun, light shade
Soil: light, well-drained soil, pH tolerant, drought tolerant once established
Uses: ground cover, rockery, container, window boxes, foundation plantings, spring bulb plantings, plant borders
Propagation:  seeds, plant divisions
Pruning: deadhead with some scissors right after flowering so they will re-flower, cut back scraggly plants by 1/3rd after flowering
​Problems: doesn’t like soggy soil and needs sun to flower well
Cultivars: Red Cascade’, ‘Royal Blue’, white ‘Purity’ or violet ‘Doctor Mules’.
Comments: A ground hugging mat that smothers the ground and looks good even when it is not in flower. This non-invasive, easy care groundcover also looks great spilling over planter rims and oozing over retaining walls and cascading rockeries. A great plant for bees as they love the masses of flowers.

A stunning pink cultivar.

This hardy ground cover is also evergreen!

Hyacinths flower the same time aubrietas do.

This attractive combination of ground covers include purple rock cress and a creeping spurge (Euphorbia).