How To Grow Rock Cress From Seed
Rock cress is a familiar name for a variety of plants, including Aubrieta and Arabis which grow as a creeping mat.
The perennial Rock Cress do well when spreading across the border edge or trailing down walls. They are great for hills and slopes, where is difficult to grow grass or other plants.
This perennial creeping mat can be found at home in rock gardens, borders, edgings, and as ground cover.
Rock Cress flowers originate from rocky regions in the Mediterranean and southern Europe. They were simply too attractive to remain in just one small region of the world.
Therefore, nowadays the creeping Rock Cress can be found all over the United States, and in many other parts of the world.
Growing Rock Cress it's easy enough to give it a try. They flourish in the slightly alkaline environment of rocky areas where other flowering plants struggle to survive.
Rock cress prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade, especially in warmer climates.
These creeping mat plants require little water or fertilizer. Therefore, they are ideal as ground cover in many areas not suitable for other plants.
Rock Cress produces an abundance of fragrant flowers in the spring. Colors are available in tones of white, red, pink, violet, blue and purple.
The dense flowering mass attracts bees, insects, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Plant Rock Cress in the fall or spring to create a wonderful ground cover carpet.
Steps On How To Grow Rock Cress From Seed
The seeds can be sown from February to June or from September to October to flower all through the following summer.
Rock Cress can be directly sown into the garden in early spring or started indoors four to six weeks before the date of your last expected frost.
Rock Cress seeds have a long germination period, which takes from 2 to 3 weeks. If you start seeds indoors, you can start growing rock cress from seed under fluorescent lights.
- Sow the ground cover seed indoors 6 - 8 weeks before the last frost in your area.
- Start seeds in a starter tray using a sterilized mix.
- Set seeds on top of soil and press the Rock Cress seeds into the soil lightly and thinly cover.
- Provide a good light source. Rock cress seed needs light to germinate.
- Keep the soil moist but not soaked.
- For indoor seed start, a heated germination mat may increase the speed of seed germination.
- When large enough to handle, transplant them in the garden 12 - 14 inches apart.
- After frost season has passed, Rock Cress ground cover seeds can be directly sown into a prepared seedbed outdoors.
- Rock cress thrives in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Although rock cress is drought resistant, needs regular watering when the soil gets dry. Avoid planting rock cress in areas where water stay between rains, because this little charmer may rot in a damp soil.
- Poor sunlight exposure due to too much shadow can affect the blooming rate and encourage root rot.
The propagation of the rock cress plant can be done by cuttings, seeds, separation or division. In general the multiplication by piles is more successful than the one by division. The tip is to make the cuttings in early summer.