Seeds for ice plants can be sown early indoors and moved outside after a frost.
Indoor Seed Sowing
- 4-6 weeks before to the last frost, sow.
- Seeds require sunshine to germinate, so press them firmly into the soil without covering. As soil, use a seed-starting mix.
- Up to germination, keep moist.
- In 15 to 20 days, seedlings appear.
- As soon as seedlings appear, give them lots of light on a sunny windowsill or grow them 3–4 inches beneath 16–hour-per-day fluorescent plant lights that are off for eight hours at night. As the plants get taller, turn up the lights. Because they will become too hot, incandescent bulbs will not function in this process. Do not leave lights on continuously for 24 hours; most plants need a time of darkness to flourish.
- Seedlings don’t require a lot of fertilizer; feed them when they are 3–4 weeks old with a starter solution (half the strength of an indoor plant food), as directed by the manufacturer.
- Seedling plants must be “hardened off” before being planted in the garden. By relocating young plants to a protected area outside for a week, you can acclimate them to outside circumstances. At first, be sure to shield them from the wind and the light. If frost is expected at night, cover or bring pots inside; then, in the morning, reintroduce them to the outdoors. The plant’s cell structure is toughened during the hardening off process, which also lessens transplant shock and scorching.
Introducing Plants to the Garden:
- Choose a position with full sun and sandy, well-drained soil after all threat of frost has passed.
- Turn the dirt under to a depth of 6 to 12 inches, remove any debris, and lightly rake the soil as level as you can to prepare the bed.
- To lessen transplant shock, plant during gloomy weather or in the late afternoon.
- 18 plants apart.
- To save water and prevent weeds, thoroughly moisten the soil and sprinkle a thin layer of mulch (no thicker than two inches) on top.
How to Grow
- Keep weeds under control while the plants are growing. In order to suppress weeds, either cultivate frequently or apply a mulch to stop their germination. Weeds compete with plants for water, space, and nutrients.
- Mulches also support stable soil temperatures and moisture retention. Shredded leaves used as an organic mulch for annual plants give the bed a more natural appearance and, as they decompose over time, enrich the soil. Mulches should never be placed on a plant’s stems to avoid potential decay.
- Observe for illnesses and pests. For advice on pest management measures that are suitable for your area, contact your cooperative extension service.
Is it simple to produce ice plants?
Ice plants (Delosperma) are a simple-to-grow and prolific blooming ground cover alternative if you’re seeking for a colorful solution to fill up space in the yard. These heat-loving perennials, which are native to South Africa, may be the center of attention in the landscape, but they actually do best when given a little bit of a break.
They are attractive additions to rock gardens, borders, pots, and ground covers due to their quick growth and constant bursts of joyful, daisy-like blooms. These floral carpets are resistant to deer and attract butterflies, bees, and other helpful pollinators.
Enjoy heaps of stunning color year after year by following our advice on how to grow and care for ice plant ground cover!
Is ice plant spreading quickly?
This perennial groundcover spreads swiftly and needs little upkeep. It grows quickly. Despite being drought-tolerant, it needs water occasionally—at least once a month. It is simple to propagate and requires full light and good drainage. Replant the pruned, fleshy stems in improved, well-draining soil. They will re-grow in other areas of the landscape if irrigation is provided. The plant is suitable for walking on and can withstand heavy foot activity. It is resilient down to the low 20s Fahrenheit.
How long does it take an ice plant to mature?
When cultivating an Aizoaceae plant inside, temperature control is less of a concern. When the temperature falls below 2 degrees Celsius, animals in the wild cannot live.
Your plant will thrive if you maintain a temperature range of 10 to 21 degrees Celsius in your home.
HUMIDITY
In general, succulents don’t like places with a lot of humidity. When the air is overly moist, root rot and other fungal issues can arise. A humidifier or routine misting are certainly needed for some of your indoor plants.
Avoid applying these strategies to your ice plant. Also, stay away from putting them in a location like the bathroom that has a lot of natural humidity.
FERTILIZER
The Ice Plant’s blossoms come in a variety of hues, including pink, orange, and yellow. Unless the soil is rich in nutrients, these people might require additional assistance from a fertilizer. To encourage healthy growth, a balanced fertilizer should only be applied in the spring. They don’t require it beyond that, plain and simple!
PROPAGATION
Ice plants can be multiplied in a number of ways, including cuttings, division, and seed germination. One of the simpler ways to create a clone is through stem cuttings. For best outcomes, this procedure should be carried out in the early spring. Uncertain about how to proceed? Not to worry! Later, we’ll have the steps.
GROWTH
The Aizoaceae family doesn’t really get very big. Ice plants only grow to a height of six inches and a width of four feet, being more like a shrub. They can actually reach this mature state in less a month if all of their needs are addressed. Ice plant species that can spread out and grow lanky can be controlled by routine trimming.
POTTING
The Ice Plant doesn’t require repotting due of its hardiness. The roots remain quite tiny and don’t become overcrowded. If the roots of your Aizoaceae become too damp, for example, you might have to move them to another container. For ice plants, saturation is a big issue. You should repot the plant if it can’t dry up soon in order to prevent fungus growth and root rot.
Are ice plants regenerated annually?
Are Ice Plants Resurrected Each Year? Although this plant remains evergreen for the majority of the year, the winter months cause the foliage to die back. But throughout the early to late spring season, fresh growth appears from the seed.
How soon should ice plants be planted?
Delosperma cultivation success factors include:
- Plant them in soil that drains quickly and in a sunny location. It is excellent to have sandy, sandy loam, or gravelly soils. Garden loam is OK in drier climes, but avoid clay everywhere.
- In colder climates, plant by mid-summer to establish themselves for the winter. In Southwest US regions with scorching summers, fall planting is advised.
- As Delosperma originate from regions of South Africa that receive summer rains, water them frequently (weekly) throughout the summer heat.
- But during the winter, keep them dry. I advise covering the plants with a piece of row crop cover (frost blanket) in areas where snow accumulates on the ground during the winter to keep the foliage and crowns dry.
- When the stems of ice plants grow over the top of the gravel, which keeps their roots damp and their leaves and stems dry, they thrive and adore the gravel mulch (by not sitting in contact with wet soil over the winter). Pine needles or medium grained bark pieces are two other quick-drying mulch options.
- By ceasing or drastically reducing their irrigation in the fall, allow them to completely dry out. In preparation for the upcoming harsh winter, they must contract and become harder. By the first heavy frost in late fall, lush, vigorously growing plants frequently perish.
- In mid-spring, remove any stems that have sustained winter damage.
- Use only one application of organic or natural fertilizer in the fall. When fertilized often during the growth season, ice plants are extremely vulnerable to winter mortality because they continue to grow into the fall and remain plump with water in their leaves.
- Space new transplants 15–18″ apart (closer for smaller rock garden varieties) and prepare the soil as little as possible to cover bigger areas with Ice Plants. Each planting hole just has to have a small amount of compost and a handful of Yum Yum Mix.
The winner of the 2016 Plant Select Award is Delosperma “Alan’s Apricot.” Long blooming and extremely cold resilient, Alan Tower of Denver, Colorado has introduced a new hybrid. Next to “Lesotho Pink,” “D. congestum,” and “D. nubiginum,” it may be the most cold-resistant. The shrub has enormous pink flowers that become apricot as the summer progresses. The pastel-colored blossom is best showcased in some midday shade.
Red Mountain Flame of Delosperma dyeri is the 2015 Plant Select Award winner. This is my introduction, which I found in a collection of seed-grown Delosperma dyeri plants that had unintentionally crossed with another species. Large scarlet-orange blossoms cover the shrub for about 4 weeks starting in the middle of spring. Up to zone 6, this choice is consistently cold hardy. When I say that you should wear sunglasses to see the vivid blossoms in the midday sun, I’m not joking. Flame is suggested for planting places that are hotter and drier because of its great heat tolerance.
The greatest long-blooming variety of Delosperma ashtonii is called “Blut,” and it has dark magenta blooms that cover its somewhat flattened, dark green leaves. The attractive foliage is consistently evergreen and develops a lovely plum color in the winter for added decorative impact. This ice plant is extraordinarily long-lived and has good cold resistance. discovered by Kelly Grummons, a nurseryman from Arvada, Colorado.
Winner of the 2009 Plant Select Award is Delosperma Lavender Ice. A lovely, long-blooming variety that spends the majority of the growing season covered with enormous pastel lavender-pink flowers. For best results, combine “Lavender Ice” with “Blut” and other ice plants with magenta or pink flowers. Over the winter, the normally evergreen foliage takes on a reddish hue. introduced by Rye, Colorado’s Perennial Favorites Nursery.
I chose the exceptional variety of Delosperma sp. “Lesotho Pink” from seed that was obtained at a height of 11.000 feet in the high highlands of Lesotho (the mountainous, landlocked country in the middle of South Africa). Brilliant pink blooms cover the tight-growing mat of bright green leaves that emerges in the early to midspring. Very hardy, this Ice Plant blooms early in the spring among the hardy Ice Plants. Does best in locations with cooler summers and higher elevations; not a good choice in hot climates. In the sweltering summer, needs water.
Plant Select Award Winner for 2012: Delosperma Fire Spinner. Late April is when Fire Spinner’s fiery orange and purple flowers bloom, covering the shrub. The focal point of your late spring garden will be a substantial planting of it. It should be noted that planting Fire Spinner in areas with warm winters will prevent the plant from flowering. In zones 5-8, flowering is at its best.
Can ice plants endure the winter months?
Delosperma, a succulent perennial ground cover with daisy-like flowers, is known as the hardy ice plant. The reason the ice plant is called an ice plant—rather than because it can withstand freezing temperatures—is because its blossoms and foliage appear to be sparkling with frost or ice crystals. The plants eventually reach heights of 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) and widths of 2 to 4 feet (0.5 to 1 m).
The majority of the summer and fall are when ice plant blooms bloom. They may be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 5–9. Because the majority of their foliage is evergreen, they make excellent year-round ground covers. Despite being evergreen, the plant frequently experiences some wintertime foliage dieback.
Among the most well-known ice plant variants are:
- Ice factory Cooper’s (Delosperma cooperi) The most prevalent type is this purple ice plant.
- robust yellow (Delosperma brunnthaleri)
- This plant has beautiful yellow flowers.
- A type of ice plant called Starburst (Delosperma floribundum) has pink blooms with a white center.
Does ice plant suffocate weeds?
Unfortunately, iceplant is invasive throughout coastal California, from north of Humboldt County to as far south as Baja California, and it spreads quickly. When it settles in a place, it creates a massive, dense mat that suffocates all other native plants and changes the soil’s chemical composition.
Do ice plants require full sunlight?
Ice plant quickly creates a low carpet of succulent foliage that adds texture and interest even when these sun-loving perennials are not in bloom, making them ideal for sunny slopes or rock gardens. Once established, there are few plants that are simpler to manage because they don’t need any specific maintenance. The term “ice plant” refers to the tiny, shimmering spots that appear to be ice crystals on the leaf. Ice plant, which may reach a height of 6 to 8 inches, blooms all summer long with vivid daisy-like flowers in purple, pink, or yellow. It resists drought and deer. Zones 5-9.
If you have any inquiries about caring for ice plants, please email us, and one of our specialists will respond.
Ice Plant Growing Instructions
Ice plants need a bright location with at least 6 to 8 hours of daily direct sunlight. Although it can survive little shade, it doesn’t blossom as much.
Put it in a soil that drains nicely. The ice plant despises clay and poorly draining soils; if it is planted in an area where there is persistent standing water, it frequently perishes. Ice plants should be planted on a hillside or slope where the soil will swiftly drain after a storm for the greatest results. It works well on raised beds and mounds as well.
Pruning the ice plant is not a concern. This low-maintenance groundcover doesn’t require fertilizing in the majority of soil types, although you can if you’d like.
Add these types to your Ice Plant to complete it:
Agave A few Agaves scattered around the bed will provide an Ice Plant border drama and interest.
Island poppies Iceland Poppy can be used to add splashes of vibrant spring color to your Ice Plant.
Together, Sedum Sedums and Ice Plant make a wonderful combo because they are both equally tolerant of drought and have beautiful leaves.
Varieties: Our Favorites
On sunny, well-drained areas, the classic type of Ice Plant’s gem-like, reddish-purple flowers spread a colorful carpet. From June through September, it blooms. It expands to be 24 inches broad and 6 inches tall. Zones 6-10
Garnet is a wonderful member of the Jewel of the Desert family and blooms from spring to fall with reddish-pink flowers. The Jewel of the Desert Garnet has a 24 inch width and a 6 inch height. Zones 5-9
With the snow-white blossoms of the ice plant “Desert Moonstone,” you may cool up hot, sunny areas of your landscaping. The center of each blossom is bright yellow. It blooms from spring through fall and is 6 inches tall and 24 inches broad. Zones 5-9
A must-have choice for rock gardens and slopes, “Peridot” ice plant has bright yellow flowers with white centers. It grows to a 6-inch-tall, cheery groundcover that can withstand drought. From late spring through early October, it blooms. Zones 5-9
This variety features blossoms that are colorful! The flower has a white center that heats to a golden-yellow, then an orange, and ultimately a red color at the margins. It expands to be 24 inches broad and 6 inches tall. Zones 5-9
‘Jewels of the Desert Topaz’ ice plant produces multitudes of amber flowers with white centers all through the summer. It is hardy in Zones 5-9. It grows just 6 to 8 inches tall, like other ice plant kinds.
This perennial groundcover has many benefits, including slow growth, tolerance to dryness, and lengthy flowering. It blooms intermittently from spring to fall, reaching heights of 6 inches and a width of 24 inches. Zones 6-9
Wow! Hot pink flowers are intermittently available all season long on this simple groundcover. Furthermore, it is almost “plant it and forget it” easy to maintain. The Wheels of Wonder Hot Pink ice plant spreads out to be 24 inches wide and 6 inches tall. Zones 6-9
If you want vibrant orange blossoms in your garden, plant this low-maintenance groundcover. It grows 6 inches tall and 24 inches broad and blooms intermittently during the spring, summer, and fall. Zones 6-9