Common Name: Type: Family: Native Range: Zone: Height: Spread: Bloom Time: Bloom Description: Sun: Water: Maintenance: Suggested Use: Flower: Tolerate: |
ice plant Herbaceous perennial Aizoaceae Southern Africa 6 to 10 0.25 to 0.50 feet 1.00 to 2.00 feet June to September Glossy red-purple Full sun Dry Medium Ground Cover, Naturalize Showy Drought,Shallow-Rocky Soil |
Best grown in dry, sharply-drained soils in full sun. This plant will grow poorly or die in any soil that is not well-drained. Avoid unamended clay soils. Tolerates average to lean soils including sandy and gravelly ones. Water sparingly during the growing season. Plants have good tolerance for heat and drought. Unfortunately, plants are not reliably winter hardy to the in zone 7 and north where they should be sited in sheltered locations and given winter protection. Native to South Africa, this ice plant species typically forms a vigorous, succulent, spreading, evergreen ground cover in warm winter areas of the United States. However, north of USDA Zones 7 it is at best semi-evergreen and is not reliably winter hardy. This is a succulent mat-forming plant that typically grows to 3” tall and spreads quickly to 24” or more. Daisy-like, bright red-purple flowers (to 2” diameter) cover the plant with bloom from June to September. The neon-like intensity of the flower color and length of bloom greatly enhance the ornamental interest of these plants. Succulent, fleshy, cylindrical, medium green leaves. Foliage is covered with transparent flakes that somewhat resemble tiny pieces of ice, hence the common name. |
Information on this page is from Missouri Botanical Gardens. or Dave’s Garden |