Iberis, the candytufts, brings a clean white brightness to spring gardens, often in low evergreen or semi-evergreen mounds that suit edges, walls, and rock-garden positions. The leaves are usually narrow, smooth, and dark green, forming compact cushions or trailing mats that remain useful after bloom. This restrained foliage is important because it gives the flowers a disciplined base; the plant looks crisp rather than loose, especially when allowed to spill gently over stone or soften the front of a sunny border.

The flowers are small individually but gathered into dense, flattened clusters, most often white, though pink or lilac tones occur in some species and selections. In full bloom, a plant can appear covered by a smooth layer of light, with the green foliage barely visible beneath. The effect is fresh and bridal without becoming sentimental, particularly when paired with early bulbs, blue phlox, aubrieta, dwarf iris, or the new leaves of silver and gray perennials. After flowering, a light shearing often restores the mound and keeps the plant from opening awkwardly.

Iberis generally prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and conditions that are not overly rich or wet. It is valuable in raised beds, gravel gardens, retaining walls, and path edges, where drainage supports longevity and the low habit can be seen clearly. In humid or heavy soils, plants may become short-lived, and older clumps can grow woody if not trimmed. The genus is at its best when its neatness is treated as a virtue: narrow leaves, dense white bloom, and a low, polished outline that gives spring plantings a bright but controlled edge.

The plant's low evergreen framework also makes it useful outside its flowering moment. It can hold the front of a border through winter, especially where neighboring perennials retreat completely. In refined compositions, white candytuft is often strongest when repeated in calm masses rather than dotted between unrelated colors. Iberis gives spring a clear, tailored brightness, and then settles back into a narrow-leaved cushion that keeps the edge quietly finished.