Ice Plant

Ice Plant 'Suntropics Hot Pink' (Delosperma 'Suntropics Hot Pink') turns a hot, dry, awkward strip into a sheet of magenta flowers. It sits about 15cm high and spreads to roughly 60cm across, hugging gravel, rock and the top of a retaining wall. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, untroubled by poor soil and safe around cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Months of hot pink flowers. Daisy shaped blooms with a satin sheen open with the morning sun and close in the evening, repeating through the warm season.
• It genuinely survives drought. The fleshy leaves store their own water, so an established mat rides out weeks of dry weather without irrigation.
• Frost hardy as well as heat tolerant. A rare combination in a succulent, and why this one works in cool temperate gardens.
• Pet friendly. Not toxic to cats or dogs, which matters in a groundcover an animal walks over daily.
• Bees and butterflies find it. The open flower shape is easy for pollinators to work, and it flowers when little else does.

Where it works best

Groundcover and slopes. Plant 30cm apart for a dense mat. At that spacing the plants knit together within a season, and the shallow roots help hold the surface of a bank.

Rockeries and gravel gardens. It spills naturally between stones and over edges, and poor gritty soil suits it better than a rich bed.

Retaining walls, pots and edging. Set it along the top of a wall to trail over the face, or use it as a low path edge.

Growing ice plant in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum, or the flowers stay shut and the growth stretches. It is at home in warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens. In humid tropical and subtropical summers it is a poor bet in the ground, because wet heat rots the crowns.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the whole game. Sandy, gravelly and stony soils are ideal. On clay, plant into a raised bed opened up with coarse sand. Skip organic mulch and use gravel, so the stems stay dry.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first six to eight weeks, then only in extended dry spells. Overwatering kills far more of these than neglect. A light dose of slow release fertiliser in early spring is ample.

Pruning. Shear the mat over lightly after the main flush to bring on fresh growth. Pull out any patch that goes soft after wet weather, and the surrounding plants will close the gap.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is sold as tube stock, which is how succulent groundcovers are best bought. Each plant is small, a rooted cutting a few centimetres across, and it looks modest in the hand. That is normal. Tube stock establishes faster than a larger pot here, because the roots have not been sitting in wet mix.

The fleshy leaves hold their own moisture, so plants travel well. Plant within a few days, water once, then leave them be, and expect the mat to close within one growing season at 30cm spacing. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, under our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the wider groundcover range.
• Compare it with our other succulents.
• See companions in the rockery collection.
• Read about trailing plants for a retaining wall.

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

At 30cm spacing you need roughly eleven plants per square metre for cover within a season. Stretch to 40cm and you halve the cost, but wait an extra season for the gaps to close.

Can I grow it in a humid subtropical or tropical garden?

Not reliably in the ground, because long humid summers keep the crowns damp and cause rot. Use a well drained pot of gritty mix in full sun, kept out of heavy rain.

Is it safe around pets?

Yes. It is not toxic to cats or dogs, so it suits a lawn edge, a path border or any area a pet crosses regularly.