By Sloppy_joe
Angus,
United Kingdom 
Hello...new member here... I decided to grow annuals & perennials from seed this year... very new to it all but having fun, I am a bit apprehensive about deciding when the plants are ready to go into the flower beds... I already put some which were sown in March into the beds in May, and they do not seem to have grown at all !! Anyways now I have a number of Iberis crenata, (Candytuft) they seem a bit leggy, and I think they are ready to go out, but have discovered they grow into a mat... so should I plant 3 or 5 together in a group, or 1 every 6 inches or so in a line ?? The seed packet says they are hardy annuals, I am hoping they will go to seed and come again next year ... or am I supposed to just pull them up and discard them at the end of the season...
any advice would be much appreciated.
21 Jun, 2012
Answers
I agree that grouping looks better with this plant.
22 Jun, 2012
Usually annuals like Candytuft are better if they are sown straight into the place you want them to be, as they are quite tough. You may need to protect the seedlings from slugs and stuff but they will do better if sown direct.I think they just need a bit of time and sunshine!!!!!
Plant the others out, how you want them to be grouped, water well and they should get going within 2-3 weeks. Annuals last for one season, they may seed themselves but you may want to sow some new ones next year. Happy gardening! :)
22 Jun, 2012
Thanks for good advice... will see how they go and share a photo if they are successful.
22 Jun, 2012
Would love to see how everything comes along :))
23 Jun, 2012
Hardy annuals die of their own accord, in the winter. I used to have those Iberis in my previous garden and they spread themselves around haphazardly with no trouble. I just used to leave them alone, even if they were close together, and they gave a nice effect. Maybe you could plant them in little groups dotted about the place. One every 6 inches would look rather regimented .... but it depends what effect you want.
22 Jun, 2012