How To Grow An Ice Plant And Purple Ice Plant Care
Looking for a drought tolerant but lovely flower to fill in a troublesome dry area in your garden? You may want to try planting ice plants. Ice plant flowers add a bright splash of color to the drier parts of your garden and ice plant care is easy. Keep reading to learn more about these pretty plants and how to grow an ice plant in your garden.
Ice Plant (Delosperma)
Perfect for sunny slopes or rock gardens, ice plant quickly forms a low carpet of succulent foliage that adds texture and interest even when these sun-loving perennials are not in bloom. Few plants are easier to grow once established — it doesn’t require any special care to thrive. Ice plant gets its name from the small, glistening dots on the foliage that resemble tiny ice crystals. Growing 6 to 8 inches tall, ice plant produces brilliant purple, pink, or yellow daisy-like flowers throughout the summer. It’s drought and deer resistant. Zones 5-9.
Ice Plant Questions?
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Ice Plant Growing Instructions
Ice plant requires a sunny spot that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sun a day. It can tolerate partial shade, but doesn’t bloom nearly as much.
Plant it in well-drained soil. Ice plant hates clay and poorly draining soils; it often dies if planted in a spot where there’s standing water for extended periods. For best effect, plant ice plant on a hillside or slope where the soil will drain quickly after a storm. It’s also excellent in raised beds or raised mounds.
You don’t need to worry about pruning ice plant. You can fertilize, if you wish, but this easy-care groundcover doesn’t require fertilization in most soil types.
- Water Low water needs
- Light Outside: Sun
- Colors Pink Purple Yellow
- Special Features Attracts butterflies Deer/rabbit resistant Groundcover
Complement your Ice Plant
Sedum
Sedums are as drought tolerant as Ice Plant and have equally interesting foliage so together they make a great combination.
Iceland Poppy
Add touches of bold spring color to your Ice Plant with Iceland Poppy.
Agave
Add drama and interest to an Ice Plant border by scattering a few Agaves in the bed.
Our favorite varieties
Cooper’s Ice Plant
The gem-like, reddish-purple flowers of the traditional form of Ice Plant create a carpet of color on well-drained sunny sites. It flowers from June until September. It grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 6-10
Moonstone Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Jewel of the Desert Moonstone’
Cool off hot, sunny spots in your landscape with the snow-white blooms of ‘Desert Moonstone’ ice plant. Each flower has a sunny yellow center. It grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide, and blooms from spring to fall. Zones 5-9
Peridot Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Jewels of the Desert Peridot’
Bright yellow flowers with white centers make ‘Peridot’ ice plant a must-have selection for rock gardens and slopes. It makes a cheerful, drought-resistant 6-inch-tall groundcover. It blooms from late spring to early autumn. Zones 5-9
Topaz Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Jewels of the Desert Topaz’
Throughout the summer, ‘Jewels of the Desert Topaz’ ice plant produces masses of amber flowers with white centers. Like other ice plant varieties it grows just 6 to 8 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 5-9.
Garnet Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Jewel of the Desert Garnet’
A fantastic part of the Jewel of the Desert series, Garnet shows off red-pink flowers from spring to autumn. Jewel of the Desert Garnet grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 5-9
Ruby Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Jewels of the Desert Ruby’
This variety shows off multicolored blooms! The center of the flower is white, then warms to golden-yellow, to orange, and finally red at the edges. It grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 5-9
Wheels of Wonder Fire Wonder Ice Plant
Delosperma ‘Wheels of Wonder Fire Wonder’
Slow-growing, drought-tolerant, and long flowering — this perennial groundcover offers a lot! It grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide and flowers on and off from spring to fall. Zones 6-9
Wheels of Wonder Hot Pink
Delosperma ‘Wheels of Wonder Hot Pink’
Wow! This easy groundcover offers hot pink flowers on and off all season long. It’s so easy to care for, too — you can practically plant it and forget it. Wheels of Wonder Hot Pink ice plant grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches across. Zones 6-9
Wheels of Wonder Orange Wonder
Delosperma ‘Wheels of Wonder Orange Wonder’
Plant this easy-care groundcover if you want rich orange flowers in your yard. It flowers on and off all spring, summer, and fall and grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Zones 6-9
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How To Grow An Ice Plant And Purple Ice Plant Care
Looking for a drought tolerant but lovely flower to fill in a troublesome dry area in your garden? You may want to try planting ice plants. Ice plant flowers add a bright splash of color to the drier parts of your garden and ice plant care is easy. Keep reading to learn more about these pretty plants and how to grow an ice plant in your garden.
Information About the Hardy Ice Plant
The hardy ice plant (Delosperma) is a succulent, perennial groundcover with daisy-like flowers. The ice plant is not called an ice plant because it is cold hardy, but rather because the flowers and leaves seem to shimmer as though covered in frost or ice crystals. The plants grow to be about 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm.) tall and 2 to 4 feet (61 cm. to 1 m.) wide.
Ice plant flowers grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 and will bloom for most of the summer and fall. Their foliage is mostly evergreen, and, because of this, they make a great year-round groundcover. While the plant is evergreen, it will often have some dieback of foliage in the winter.
Some popular varieties of ice plants include:
- Cooper’s ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) – This purple ice plant is the most common variety
- Hardy yellow (Delosperma brunnthaleri) – This species consists of lovely yellow flowers
- Starburst (Delosperma floribundum) – An ice plant variety with pink flowers and a white center
- Hardy white (Delosperma herbeau) – A white flowered type that offers exceptional beauty
How to Grow an Ice Plant
Ice plants prefer full sun but can tolerate some light shade in the garden.
Since ice plants are succulents, they do not tolerate wet soil, though they do well in poor soils. In fact, wet soil, especially during the winter months, is likely to kill the plants. In areas where the soil stays consistently dry, this plant can become invasive, so it is best to take this into consideration when planting it.
The ice plant can be propagated by division, cuttings, or seeds. If propagating by division, it is best to divide the plants in the spring. Cuttings can be taken anytime in the spring, summer, or fall. When grown by seeds, scatter the seeds on the surface of the soil and do not cover them, as they need light to germinate.
Ice Plant Care
Once they are established, ice plants require little maintenance. As succulents, they need very little watering and thrive in drought-like conditions. In addition, these plants need little to no fertilizing. Simply plant your ice plant flowers and watch them grow!