Photo: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Perennial · Brassicaceae

Aubretia

Aubrieta × cultorum

In other languages: Blauwkussen (Nederlands) · Aubriète (Français)

Aubretia (Aubrieta × cultorum) is a group of garden hybrids: small, evergreen cushion plants bred from species found in the mountains of south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor. It forms low mats 5–15 cm tall with small, grey-green, softly hairy leaves. From March to May, the leaves almost disappear under a carpet of four-petalled flowers in purple, blue, pink or red. Gardeners like to let it tumble over walls and edges or grow it in a rock garden, and value it as one of the first sources of nectar for bees and butterflies. There are dozens of cultivars, with single or double flowers.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand or loam
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -30 °C
Size
0.1 m
tall, 0.5 m wide
Flowering
March–May

Key facts
Pruning months	May–June
Height	0.1 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees and butterflies
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	March–May

Identify

Aubretia: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Low, spreading mat 5–15 cm tall and 40–60 cm wide.
Leaves: Small, spoon-shaped, grey-green and softly hairy; evergreen.
Flower: Four-petalled flowers 1–2 cm across, so many that they cover the leaves, from March to May.
Colour: Purple, blue-purple, lilac, pink or red; there are also cultivars with double flowers or variegated leaves.
Roots: A branching root that likes to settle into joints and cracks between stones.

Flowering: March–May · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: May–June

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the first to flower: a carpet of colour from March to May.
Early nectar for bees, bumblebees and butterflies.
Evergreen and ground-covering: a neat cushion even out of flower.
Beautiful tumbling over walls, between stones and along edges.
Little work: one trim a year is enough.

Aubretia: where does it grow best?

Full sun: only then does it flower freely and stay compact.
Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; it does not like acid soil.
Dry to normally moist; wet soil in winter makes it rot.
Ideal on or in a wall, in a rock garden or along an edge, 30–40 cm apart.

Light: Sun
Soil type: Sand or loam
Acidity: Neutral or chalky
Moisture: Dry or normal
Size: 0.1 m tall, 0.5 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

Basket of gold: Golden yellow beside purple, in the same months and the same dry spot.
Perennial candytuft: A white, evergreen cushion that flowers at the same time.
Species tulips: Small tulips that flower through the cushion in April.
Houseleek: Evergreen rosettes between the stones, also happy dry.

Maintenance

Aubretia: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

Plant in March–April or in September–October.
Loosen the soil and, on heavy ground, mix in some coarse sand or gravel; on acid soil, a little lime.
Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot. In a wall, slide the root ball into a joint and fill up with sandy soil.
Keep 30–40 cm apart for a continuous carpet.
Water in, and again in dry spells during the first weeks.

Care

Water: Once established, only during long dry spells.
Feeding: Not needed; on very poor soil a little compost in spring is enough.
Cutting back: Trim back by a third straight after flowering; this keeps the cushion dense and compact.
Lime: On acid soil, scatter a little lime around the plants in spring every few years.

Tip: Plant it at the top of a wall or between the stones of a bank: it then tumbles down like a colourful waterfall and its roots always stay dry.

Aubretia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June.

When: Straight after flowering, in late May or early June.

How:

Shear the whole cushion back by about a third, spent flowers and all.
Do not cut below the green leaves: it regrows poorly from bare, woody parts.
Shoots that hang over a wall can be left a little longer.

Caution: Do not wait until summer: the later you trim, the less time the cushion has to fill out again before winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings: In June–July: take 5 cm cuttings from young, non-flowering shoots and insert them in gritty cutting compost, kept barely moist and out of strong sun.
Division: In September, split an old cushion into rooted pieces and replant them straight away.
Seed: Sow in a pot in spring. Seedlings vary in colour.

Aubretia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

Hardy to about −30 °C: in Belgium no protection is needed.
Evergreen: the cushion stays in place all winter.
Wet feet are the biggest danger: choose a spot that drains well.

Diseases and pests

Bare cushion: Old cushions go bare and straggly in the middle. Trim every year after flowering and replace old plants with cuttings.
Rot: Brown, rotting patches caused by wet soil in winter. Ensure good drainage.
Flea beetles: Small holes in the leaves, made by tiny jumping beetles. The plant usually simply grows away from it.
Few flowers: Too much shade or soil that is too rich. Give it full sun and do not feed.

Through the year

March: Flowering begins. Plant.
April: Full bloom. Plant.
May: Last flowers. Trim back by a third straight afterwards.
June: Trim back if not yet done. Take cuttings.
July: Take cuttings. Water during long dry spells.
September: Plant or divide.
October: Plant.
December: Rest; the green cushion stays in place.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Butterflies: Nectar for butterflies.

You and this species

Did you know?

It is named after the French botanical artist Claude Aubriet, who drew plants for the royal garden in Paris around 1700.
It belongs to the cabbage family, like cabbage and mustard: its four petals are arranged in a cross.

Garden plants · All species