Aubrieta 'Doctor Mules'

RHS Plant Profile
aubrieta 'Doctor Mules'
aubrieta 'Doctor Mules' RHS
Award of Garden MeritPlants for pollinators
Alpine Rockery

'Doctor Mules' is a trailing perennial to 10cm tall, forming a wide mat of small, scurfy, soft green leaves, with single, rich violet-blue flowers 2.5cm wide in spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Brassicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Trailing
Genus
Aubrieta are mat-forming evergreen perennials with small leaves and short racemes of 4-petalled flowers in shades of pink and purple in spring
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Best grown in well-drained soil in full sun, an ideal plant for dry areas such as chalky slopes and on walls, but it can tolerate partial shade. Being hardy it is a useful container plant for spring colour

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings or semi-hardwood cuttings. Species can be propagated by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Garden edging
  • Banks and slopes
  • Ground cover

Pruning

Cut back after flowering to maintain compactness

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and flea beetles

Diseases

May be infected by white blister