Lampranthus spectabilis
Trailing ice plant, Ice plant
Also known as Mesembryanthemum spectabilis
- Height × spread
- 0.2m × 0.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
These are delightful and showy when in flower. The flowers are shiny and synthetic looking, very fine petalled daisies with neat yellow hearts. They appear in shades of pink and reddish purple. Cultivars are available which extend the colour range to include apricot and magenta shades. The flowers appear in spring and summer for a good season. The plant has trailing and short upright stems which carry the fleshy greyish green leaves that slightly curve along their length and have red tinted leaf tips. Give these as much sunshine as possible in well drained, poor soil. They may survive out of doors in the warmest part of the country. It is possible to take stem cuttings and pot them up, keeping them indoors for the winter, as a precaution against loss.
- Flower colour
- Orange, Pink, Purple
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Prostrate
- Height
- 0.2m
- Spread
- 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Rock garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Feed with low nitrogen feed
Use a houseplant fertiliser that has low nitrogen content. Apply this several times while the plant is in active growth, reduce feeding and then stop feeding when the plant begins to fade, or winter starts.
Where food elements are listed as three numeric values on the label representing in order Nitrogen(N)-Phosphorus(P)-Potassium(K), choose one where nitrogen has a low value.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Winter
Winter-Spring · Planting
Protect from winter cold
Bring the plant into a frost-free area before frosts occur, and do not put them outside until all danger of frost is past. Follow watering instructions, or allow the plant a period of dormancy during the winter.
Plants need to be brought inside in cold areas, i.e. colder than zone 8.