Delosperma spp. (ice plants) are drought-proof, long-blooming perennials perfect for xeriscaping and water-wise gardening. These plants adapt to most soils, but waterlogged and shady situations ruin them. They do, however, need moderate amounts of moisture to thrive. These plants grow best in situations where Delosperma moisture requirements match natural water levels.
Common Name Suggests Leaf Structure and Function
“They are called ice plant because they have bladder-like hairs on the leaf surface that reflect and refract light in a manner to make it appear that they sparkle like ice crystals,” according to a description published in the 9 April 2005 issue of the NM State University's Cooperative Extension Service publication Southwest Yard & Garden. These hairs arise from the plant’s thick fleshy leaves and stems that store water and support adaptation to dry situations.
Plant Appearance and Hardiness
Ice plant leaves and stems mature as two to three inch tall mats that may spread to three feet or more. Two to three inch wide daisy-like flowers develop from these mats and appear in a spectrum of eye-catching colors like amber and yellow, and pinks that extend from bright pink to rose-pink, salmon-pink and fuchsia. There is even a variety that produces bicolor flowers that show orange on petal edges and red to pink towards the flower center.
Species and cultivars differ not only in flower color but also in flowering times. Plants may begin to flower in some areas in early spring, but, most plants flower from July through September. Plant hardiness zones also vary from 4 to 7 or 8 depending upon species and cultivar.
Availability of Delosperma species and cultivars
Plant Select®, a nonprofit cooperative program administered by the Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University, is primarily responsible for the rising popularity of Delosperma species and cultivars. Although Plant Select® chooses plants primarily for the distinctive and variable conditions of Rocky Mountain gardens, their introductions do well in other situations and regions of the U.S. where water-wise landscape gardening is essential.
The Plant Select® web site currently lists seven Delosperma cultivars and features five online retail nurseries that sell various cultivars. The group’s introductions are plants discovered by Plant Select® cooperators - horticulturists and nurseries - and often develop into superior forms or hybrids.
Landscape Situations
- Groundcovers for full sun exposure situations in sandy or loamy soil.
- Excellent for soil retention once established.
- Fushia-colored blooms highlight yellow blooms of reblooming daylilies like ‘Stella de Oro,’ Black-Eyed Stella,’ and ‘Happy Returns.’
Delosperma cooperi, Cooper's Hardy Ice Plant, with its magenta-colored flowers is probably the easiest ice plant to find and purchase. Other speciesand cultivars are still difficult to find in retail outlets, but will become more available as their popularity spreads. Cooper's Ice Plant is also probably the easiest member of this group to introduce into landscape settings. All it needs is a full sun situation in well-drained soil with moderate irrigation. Cooper's Ice Plant is a good indicator for choosing other species and cultivars when they become available.
Georgene A. Bramlage - Suite 101 Landscaping Feature Writer and Topic Editor Free-lance Garden and Landscape Writer and Consultant
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