Aubrieta

Questions about aubrieta

Does aubrieta need sun or shade?

Aubrieta grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.

What zones does aubrieta grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).

Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.

Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.

When does aubrieta flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.

How far apart should aubrieta be planted?

12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.

It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many aubrieta plants do I need?

At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.

In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.

Is there a native plant like aubrieta?

Aubrieta is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:

• Rock cress: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; white or pink, not purple, not evergreen.
• Three-toothed cinquefoil: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to early July, white, not purple.
• Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, lavender, not purple.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

What flowers after aubrieta?

Aubrieta is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
• Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall.

What does aubrieta look like in winter?

Aubrieta keeps its grey-green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.