When it comes to spreading some beautiful Aubrieta (commonly known as False Rockcress) around your garden, you’ve basically got three ways to go about it. You can divide the root balls, take cuttings, or—the easiest route—grow them from seed. Luckily, these little guys are way less finicky than many other garden plants when it comes to sowing.
Letting Nature Do the Heavy Lifting
Honestly, if you aren’t in a rush, you don’t have to do much at all. Aubrieta is great at self-seeding, just like nature intended. The only “rule” here is to put down the garden shears! If you want them to spread on their own, don’t deadhead the faded flowers. The plant needs those spent blooms to develop the seed pods. You can actually control how much it spreads by deciding how many wilted flowers you leave on the plant. Once the pods are ripe, they’ll burst open and scatter the seeds for you.
Sowing by Hand
If you don’t have any Aubrieta in your garden yet, you’ll need to start from scratch by hand. Unlike a lot of other perennials, you don’t necessarily have to start these indoors. Starting in May, you can sow the seeds directly into the ground. Just pick out a great spot that gets plenty of sunshine and has well-draining soil. These plants are super versatile—they look amazing in flower beds and balcony boxes, but they also love tucked-away spots like paving gaps, wall crevices, and dry stone walls.
Getting Blooms in the First Year
The one downside to sowing directly outdoors is that you usually won’t see any flowers in the first year. If you’re impatient for that bloom time, your best bet is to start them indoors in April. Here’s the game plan:
- Fill your seed trays with a low-nutrient seed-starting mix.
- Press the seeds lightly into the soil, but don’t cover them! These are “light germinators” and need sun to wake up.
- Keep the soil consistently moist using a spray bottle.
- Find a warm spot for the trays (somewhere between 68°F and 77°F is perfect).
You should start seeing little sprouts popping up within one to four weeks.
