Ice Plant to Heat Up Summer

No one wants to hear about ice in April, unless it is in relation to a tall glass of lemonade. But the Ice Plant… well now, that is a different story. Those gardeners who are most tired of winter are the ones who should get to know the Ice Plant. Its blooms call out “summer”.

One of the first questions asked about Delosperma, or the Ice Plant, is why it got its chilly common name. Does it crave the cold? Does it peek up through the last of the snowdrifts as one of the earliest sprouting plants of spring? No, neither is true. The “ice” reference in its name comes from the way its foliage shines with the look of ice crystals when miniscule hairs on the greenery catch the light.

Foliage and Growing Habit

The foliage of the Ice Plant is unusual, with succulent and finger-like leaves (little tubes, almost) forming a low-growing mat. The shape and fleshy feel to the leaves make Delosperma seem a little more like an aquatic plant than a land plant, with greenery that one can imagine waving in an ocean current more than spreading along the garden floor. But the Ice Plant is indeed a land plant, and a spreader at that, having moderate to quick growth.

Young Delosperma stock will arrive in the hands of the gardener in very small form. But fear not: Dug into the ground or placed in a good container, what starts as a tiny Ice Plant will develop into something that can spread a foot or so while maintaining a compact height of about six inches. The plant may be barely visible in the garden at first. But wait… Delosperma flowers.

Abundant Flowers

Now this is why we should all know the Ice Plant. Its flowers are stunning. They are visible, colorful, and ever-present just as long as the plant has had enough time to settle in and get somewhat close to six hours of warm, baking sun each day. Contradicting its name, the Ice Plant wants nothing to do with cold and ice. At an extreme, it can survive as a perennial quite a bit below 10 degrees Fahrenheit (some say 15 below, and others say 20 below), but that is pushing it. Delosperma is like many of us gardeners, ready for spring and eager to leave the chilly months behind. It wants warmth, long and bright sunbaths, and soil that keeps it dry and happy thanks to good drainage and even sandy soil amendments.

With the right warmth, sun, drainage, and a little bit of protection from the elements, Delosperma, the Ice Plant, will show its colorful and daisy-like flowers in great number. With a many-petaled, fringy look to them, the flowers come in the most outstanding colors. The Delosperma Hotcakes® series has been bred to be compact yet flower-filled, in pleasing colors such as "strawberry". And the hybrid Delosperma Ocean Sunset Orange Glow has some of the largest flowers in a gradation of the hottest tones of yellow, orange, and pink on each and every bloom.

Care

In Alpine troughs and dry areas, the Ice Plant can introduce a whole lot of color in a short period of time. And while other plants may need pampering, Delosperma does best when neglected a bit. Watering need not be very frequent at all, and holding back on hydration reaps better results than overwatering does. While regular applications of a light fertilizer can help coax out more and more blooms from the Ice Plant, nothing in the way of deadheading is necessary to keep new blooms on deck. Just cover the plant with a good amount of mulch to keep it cozy when temperatures drop if you are in the coldest of the plant Hardiness Zones in which Delosperma grows. With this little bit of a blanket to keep it warm, you can expect to see it year after year.

So cast away worries about the ice and snow. The Ice Plant will heat up the garden with great color.