Pigface Pink Dwarf

Pigface Pink Dwarf (Mesembryanthemum 'Pink Dwarf') is a succulent groundcover for the places nothing else wants: hot, dry, sandy, salty and steep. It sits about 15cm high and spreads to a metre or more, covering itself in bright pink daisy like flowers through the warm months. Once it is down, it holds soil, smothers weeds and asks for almost no water.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground fast. Fleshy stems root as they run, so a planting closes over in a season rather than sitting in bare mulch for years.
• Flowers in bright pink. The blooms open through the warm months and are worked steadily by bees and butterflies.
• Almost no water needed. The leaves store their own moisture, which makes it one of the few things that looks alive through a hot dry summer.
• Built for coastal and poor ground. Salt tolerant, heat tolerant and happy in sand or thin soil where a lawn or standard groundcover fails.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 40cm apart for quick cover. At that spacing the plants meet in one warm season and the spread keeps creeping outward with age.

Retaining walls and slopes. The stems trail over an edge and root into the face of a batter, which holds soil on a slope that is awkward to mow or maintain.

Rockeries and coastal gardens. Sharp drainage and reflected heat around rock and paving suit it, and salt laden wind does not mark the foliage.

Growing Pigface Pink Dwarf in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It grows in warm temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and the tablelands will lose it in a hard winter. In shade it stretches, flowers poorly and rots.

Soil. Free draining and poor is exactly right. Sand, gravel and thin rocky soil all work. On clay, plant on a raised mound and add coarse sand, because sitting wet is the one thing that kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly for the first six weeks to settle the roots, then almost never. Skip the fertiliser; rich feeding produces soft leggy growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Trim back straggly or woody sections in early spring and the plant reshoots from the base. Pieces pulled off strike readily if you want to extend the planting for nothing.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in one size, tubestock. Each plant is small, usually a few fleshy stems in a tube, which is normal for a groundcover of this type and is why they are bought by the tray for a bank or a bed.

Succulents travel well and arrive in good condition, though a stem or two may snap in transit; push the pieces into the soil and they will root. Plant into ground that is already weed free, water in, then leave it alone. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full groundcover range
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Compare other succulents
• Plants for coastal and exposed gardens

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

At 40cm spacing, roughly six plants per square metre. Wider spacing still works and costs less, it just takes an extra season to close over.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. An occasional touch of frost causes some damage that grows out, but a district with regular hard frosts will kill it outright. Choose a hardier groundcover for cold inland gardens.

Is this an Australian native pigface?

No. This is an African mesembryanthemum sold under the pigface name. It behaves the same way in the garden, but if you specifically want the native coastal species, look for a Carpobrotus instead.