How to Grow and Care for Aubrieta

Aubrieta, a cheerful ground cover, is a great candidate for edging your paths or tucking into stone walls. After the profuse flowers have faded, the grayish-green foliage maintains a handsome mat that covers bare areas under leggy roses or between paving stones on a garden path. These plants are far more common in Europe than in North America. The genus name derives from Claude Aubriet, a European landscape artist from the 17th century.

Aubrieta Care

Aubrieta thrives best when planted in well-draining, alkaline soil in full sun. As a member of the mustard family, this is a tough plant that requires little care. Aubrieta is rarely bothered by insect pests and it is considered deer-resistant. Once established, it has good drought-tolerance.

Light

Aubrieta plants shine in full sun, but will also grow in part shade. For best results, grow plants where they will receive at least a half-day of sun. Plants that grow in too much shade will lose their compact, mounded appearance, take on a leggy look, and have sparse flowers.

Soil

Aubrietas like a lean, rocky, alkaline soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5, which mimics the soil found in their native alpine habitats in southwestern Europe. If the pH is low, increase it with the addition of lime.

Water

Aubrieta plants need a moderate amount of water, but they don't like wet feet.

Temperature and Humidity

Aubrieta plants grow best in areas with cool summers that mirror their alpine climate. Periods of high humidity are fine; in fact, the cool, damp climate of Great Britain or Washington state is where you are most likely to find extraordinary specimens of aubrieta plants.

Fertilizer

Aubrietas grow in lean soil and need no supplemental fertilizer to make beautiful blooms. At most, occasional watering with compost tea is all the feeding aubrieta plants need.

Types of Aubrieta

Most aubrieta sold in the nursery trade are cultivars or hybrids. Popular varieties include:

• Aubrieta x cultorum 'Rokey's Purple' is among the most commonly seen aubrieta in gardens; it features bright violet flowers.
• Aubrieta x cultorum 'Doctor Mules Variegated' offers a completely different look; it's important to know, however, that variegated types may revert to green, so prune away any all-green stems that form.
• Aubrieta gracilis alba 'Snowdrift' is an all-white cultivar.

Pruning

Aubrieta can get a bit scraggly after blooming. In midsummer, the foliage tends to die back and will benefit from a hard shearing. Keep it tidy by trimming plants back after flowering. Use shears, and trim no more than half the plant's growth at any one time.

Propagating Aubrieta

Aubrieta can be divided in the early fall:

1. Dig up the entire plant with a shovel.
2. Tease the clump apart with your hands or a garden fork.
3. Replant the divisions 12 inches apart in a new location at at the same depth as the original plant Water it well and keep it moist until you see new growth.

How to Grow Aubrieta from Seed

Aubrieta can be hard to find as nursery plants, therefore many gardeners grow it from seed. Note that seeds collected from your cultivar or hybrid plants won't produce plants true to type so it is best to start with seeds from a seed company.

1. Sow aubrieta seeds in seed flats indoors on top of sterile potting mix. The seeds need light for germination, so press seeds down but don't cover them.
2. Keep the seeds moist at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Germination will occur in two to three weeks.
3. Harden the seedlings off for about a week before planting them in garden soil or in permanent pots.

Potting and Repotting Aubrieta

Aubrieta complements the container garden as a trailing plant, softening container edges. Plant it as a companion to other rock garden flowers with similar growing needs, like dianthus.

Pot up your aubrieta plants with a lightweight all-purpose potting soil. A potting mix meant for cacti is also appropriate for aubrieta plants. Take care not to bury the foliage when potting up aubrieta. There are a few inches of brown stem beneath the foliage, and this is the working area of the plant when repotting. Lift the foliage, and carefully mound soil around the stems and roots to secure the plant in its place.

Overwintering

Aubrieta does not require winter protection, unless it's grown in a container in a climate with heavy freezes. In that case, the roots needs to be protected. Wrap the container in burlap and bubble wrap, or place it inside an insulating silo.

Common Plant Diseases

Plants growing in damp, shady areas may experience downy mildew. You can prevent this fungal disease by providing enough light and spacing for air circulation.

Good drainage is important to prevent root rot. Use gravel, vermiculite, or another non-organic soil amendment that will help drainage without lowering soil pH.

How to Get Aubrieta to Bloom

Failure to bloom or sparse blooms are likely to due to lack of light. Aubrieta blooms at its best in full sun.