Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  syn. Oscularia piquetbergensis

Description:

A carpet forming variety with succulent, gray-green leaves with club shaped tips; a stunning explosion of lavender-pink flowers in spring; great as a dry area groundcover, or rock garden feature

Ornamental Features

Ice Plant features showy lavender daisy flowers with pink overtones and gold eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late spring. Its attractive succulent oval leaves remain grayish green in colour throughout the year. The brick red stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Landscape Attributes

Ice Plant is an herbaceous annual with a trailing habit of growth, eventually spilling over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ice Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ice Plant will grow to be only 5 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 30 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Ice Plant is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its trailing habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.