Key characteristics
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Height
- 6-12 in
- Width
- 12-18 in
- Flower color
- Soft pink
- Foliage color
- Blue-green
- Bloom time
- Spring
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Low once established
- Soil
- Sharply drained, gravelly
- Maintenance
- Low
- Growing zone
- Zones 5-8
Groundcovers
Aethionema grandiflorum
Persian Stonecress
Aethionema grandiflorum, Persian stonecress, forms a low, spreading mound of narrow blue-green foliage that hugs the ground and stays tidy through the seasons. In mid to late spring it covers itself in clusters of soft pink, cross-shaped flowers that fade attractively and continue to sparkle against the silvery leaves. The evergreen cushions bring year-round structure and color to rock gardens, gravel beds, sunny slopes, and alpine plantings, where its delicate flowers belie a tough, drought-tolerant constitution.
Works well in
- Rock gardens
- Gravel beds
- Sunny slopes
- Alpine plantings
Companion plants
Dwarf iris · Dianthus · Silver-leaved perennials
Design tip
Give it sharp drainage and full sun; it dislikes winter wet.
Planting & care
Persian stonecress thrives on lean, sharply drained soil in full sun. Water sparingly once established, shear lightly after flowering to keep the mound tidy, and avoid rich soil or heavy mulch that holds moisture around the crown.
More groundcovers
Saxifraga ‘Hsitou Silver’
Strawberry Geranium
Blooms white to pale pink
Partial shade to full shade
Dicentra formosa ‘Sulphur Hearts’
Sulphur Hearts Bleeding Heart
Blooms pale sulfur yellow to creamy yellow with rosy pink inner petals
Partial shade to full shade
Helianthemum nummularium ‘Wisley Pink’
Wisley Pink Rock Rose
Blooms soft pink with yellow centers
Full sun
Heuchera 'Paris'
Paris Coral Bells
Blooms bright coral-red
Partial shade to full sun