Delosperma
Hardy ice plant, Rock mesembryanthemum
- Height × spread
- 0.05m – 0.2m × 0.2m – 0.5m
- Position
- Full sun
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
These are small, often rather lush looking plants that have picturesque or sometimes trailing foliage and generally produce vivid multi-petalled daisy flowers. Luminous pink, bright yellow, and white seem to be the preferred colours. They are succulents and may be shrubby in character, although they are low-growing and often make prostrate growth. A few forms may over-winter outside but it can be safer to bring them under cover for the winter. It is also easy to pot up a section of a trailing plant and bring that in, so that you can start over in spring if the 'parent' dies.
- Flower colour
- Purple, Red, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Prostrate
- Height
- 0.05m – 0.2m
- Spread
- 0.2m – 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Rock garden, Indoors, Gravel garden, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, some are not hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Indoor light
- full light at all times
- Indoor temperature
- 5C minimum temperature
- Use for
- Structural
- Maintenance
- Some varieties are easycare (low/no maintenance)
- Hazards
- No
AutumnNow
Autumn-Winter · Indoors
Keep dry during dormancy
Keep dry during the period of dormancy or resting, which is likely to be from the middle of the autumn until spring.
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Indoors
Feed with houseplant food monthly
Give the plant a balanced houseplant feed monthly while in growth.
Where food elements are listed as three numeric values on the label representing in order Nitrogen(N)-Phosphorus(P)-Potassium(K), with percentage values for each, choose one where the values are more or less equal.
Spring-Autumn · Indoors
Water to keep soil moist
Water regularly, but do not leave the plant sodden or with water in a saucer at its feet. It likes to be dry during the winter months.
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.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Water some varieties differently
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for water. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for watering guidance.
Indoor temperature · Planting
5C minimum temperature
This plant requires a minimum temperature of 5 Centigrade.
Compost · Planting
Cactus compost for repotting
Use standard cactus compost. Top the soil with grit or granite chips to ensure perfect drainage around plant stem. Repot when the plant is dry and delay watering for 3 days after repotting.
You can also make own compost using 3 parts John Innes no. 2, 1 part horticultural grit, and 1 part horticultural grade perlite or pumice. There are many 'recipes' available and opinions vary widely - consult specialist literature or websites.
Indoor plant · Planting
Position in a sunny spot, close to window
Give this plant a position where there is as much light and sunlight as possible, within 2-3 metres of a sunny or bright window (one that is south, east, or west facing).
Found in
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