Trailing ice plant
Also called Pink carpet, Hardy ice plant, Vygie.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 14 days in the growing season, every 45 in winter |
| Humidity | low |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 15 cm (6 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, no entry for Delosperma cooperi.
Vygies are the succulent daisies of the dry South African interior, and this one has travelled further than most because it takes hard frost. The rule that matters is that it dies of wet, not of cold. On sharp gravel with the water running away it survives winters that kill far tougher looking plants, and on flat clay it turns to mush at the first frost. Plant it in the spring months in South Africa, where it appears on the September list under ice plant, and after the last frost in the north. Give it the hottest, driest, meanest spot you have, on a wall top or a bank. It roots from any piece of stem pushed into grit, so one plant becomes a metre of ground cover within two seasons.
Ailments observed
| A soft or mushy base to the stem | Winter wet rather than winter cold, which is what finishes most of them. Plant on a slope, a raised bed or gravel so water drains away in the cold months. It survives hard frost on dry ground and rots on wet ground at zero. |
|---|---|
| Long bare stems and pale new leaves | Not enough sun, so the stems stretch and the mat opens up in the middle. Move it into full sun. Cut the long stems back and push them into gritty compost, where they root within a few weeks. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Succulents and cacti, Plants for infrequent watering
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