Ice Plant Mauve

Ice Plant Mauve (Mesembryanthemum 'Mauve') is the succulent carpet for the hot dry bank nothing else will hold. It sits about 15cm high and spreads to a metre, covering the ground in fleshy green fingers that flash open into mauve and pink daisy flowers through the warm months. Once it is established it asks for almost nothing, which is the point of planting it.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground fast. One metre of spread from each plant, so a bare slope closes over in a season rather than three.
• Drought is its natural state. The leaves store their own water, so hot dry banks, rockeries and neglected strips suit it perfectly.
• Flowers that pull in pollinators. Mauve and pink blooms open in sunshine and bring bees and butterflies to the garden.
• Poor soil is fine. Sand, gravel and thin coastal soil are all acceptable, and salt wind does not bother it.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 50cm apart, which works out at four plants per square metre. At that spacing the mat closes within a season in warm weather.

Retaining walls and slopes. The shallow root system knits the surface together and holds soil on a bank, and the stems trail neatly over the top of a wall.

Rockeries and coastal gardens. It is at home between rocks, along a hot driveway edge or on a front line coastal block where salt spray rules out most groundcovers.

Growing ice plant in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day. It suits warm temperate, Mediterranean, subtropical and arid or semi-arid gardens. Light frost is tolerated once established, but a hard frost will turn the foliage to mush, so cool temperate gardens should look elsewhere.

Soil. Free draining is not negotiable. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal. On clay, raise the bed and add coarse sand or scoria, because the one thing that reliably kills this plant is wet feet in winter.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first two months to settle the roots, then only in extended dry spells. Feeding is optional and usually unnecessary. A light application of a general fertiliser in spring is more than enough.

Pruning. Shear the mat back by about a third after flowering if it starts to build up woody centres. It reshoots readily, and the trimmings strike easily if you want more.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock singly, or in 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are the sensible choice for a large area because you need a lot of plants at 50cm spacing, and they catch up quickly. The 140mm plants are more established and give faster coverage for a small bank or a retaining wall top.

Succulents travel well, and a few bruised stems on arrival will not matter. Plant them slightly high rather than deep. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full groundcover range
• Best trailing plants for a retaining wall
• Compare rockery plants
• More drought tolerant plants

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

Four, planted 50cm apart in a staggered grid. That gives full cover in one warm season. Stretch it to 70cm if you are happy to wait longer and weed in the meantime.

Can I walk on it?

No. The stems and leaves are brittle and crush underfoot, so this is a groundcover to look at rather than a lawn substitute. Use steppers if you need a path through it.

Will it grow in shade?

Not well. In shade it stretches, stops flowering and becomes prone to rot. Full sun for most of the day is what it needs.

Does it handle frost?

Light frost only, and only on an established plant. In a district with regular heavy frosts the foliage collapses and the plant often does not recover.