Delosperma (Ice Plants)

These plants are my new favorite plants. I just got 'Fire Spinner'. Which varieties have you grown and over-wintered? They also make excellent houseplants...at least they do for me. LOL.

Did you order yours from High Country gardens? They look totally awesome.

I think I'm going to try adding delosperma (looking at 'Blut' variety) to my living wall succulent art.

Yes. I got mine at High Country Gardens. Love that place. I think they would be excellent for most containers. Some of them have larger roots, however.

I saw an article recently with antique picture frames made into containers to hang on a wall. I want one of those. My dad is taking a dead hollow tree and planting ice plants in the holes. This should be amazing when in bloom! He's standing it up and burying the trunk some so it looks like a dead tree.

I saw those picture frames.....I think it was Country Gardens? That's my #1 favorite magazine. I loved the table art that she did also.

I bought my bases for my wall art from Flora Grubb Gardens. They are little expensive, but they work great! (the cell bases are at an angle, so your dirt stays in really well. I'm not sure if the delosperma would work for those smallish cells. I could always try putting in just one, and see if it can surface spread to fill my other gaps that I have. (I had some herbs in it that didn't get enough water last summer, so only the succulents----majority of it though---remain.)

Check out this link if you haven't seen her amazing wall art before.

http://shop.floragrubb.com/vertical-succulent-garden-d-i-y-panel/

I have three of those panels, hung at different heights on my garden shed. The one on her website is made up of 6 panels. I received loads of compliments last summer on them. Unfortunately, I don't think I took a picture. I'm not sure why. They still look good.

Your dad's tree idea sounds really cool!

That is such a great idea. I hope you post photos this year!

I just ordered a flat of 32 Fire Spinner plants! Exciting. It will be fun looking for places to tuck them in.

Awesome. Those blooms are not like anything I've ever seen.

For sure they look amazing and it was you echinaceamaniac that put this "bee in my bonnet" many months back. And with my 'nagging' there are two independent nurseries nearby bringing them in this spring.

Of course the the question as always is whether it can (easily) survive my zone 5b climate.

I hope so. If not you could over winter a cutting inside. They take root in about a week.

Right now in my gardening 'maturity' I am not yet into overwintering. If a plant can't make it outside in my setting and with my 'loving care' i.e. lots of good soil amendments and lots of extra mulch in the fall than it is not to be.

I think what I will do with "Fire Spinner" is plant only 3 or 4 and see how they make out this growing year and into spring 2013.

We'll have to post photos of these when they bloom. I'm edging a rose garden with iceplants this year.

Of course we are all looking very forward to seeing how these ice plants really look in our real life NAmerican gardens. We need pictures!

Look at this photo on Flickr. I love the colors in this one!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64775589@N02/5903464690/

I just today picked up 4 of "Fire Spinner" from one of my favourite 'mortar and bricks' nurseries.

I have put them in the garage until I decide where and more importantly...when..to plant them. From what I have read on line they are particularly finicky re clay (don't like) nor wet feet.

(How long can I keep them like this prior to planting...a month?)





This message was edited Apr 15, 2012 6:21 PM

Rouge...was it outside when you bought it? If so move it back outside. They need light and fresh air. i do believe most delospurmums are hardy. Place on the porch out of sun, they will dry out fast if in the full sun, but if thats all you have.... Just make sure they are watered daily. How long can they handle the pot?, a lot longer than you think, biggest problem would be them filling the pot and becoming rootbound but them again that can be fixed also. Just make sure if a plant is rootbound in the pot...most all plant appreciate their roots being teased a bit before placing them in their new home. Many plants that have a thick flesh like yours or even sedums, any broken pieces can just be stuck in the ground and they should root, hence a new plant for ya.

For sure put them in the sun! I don't water mine at all. They only get watered when it rains.

Thanks for the replies 'maniac and 'kathy.

So this new small pot bound plant will be fine in our fluctuating spring temps? Maybe I should bring it into the garage at night when low temps are forecast ie less than....40 F?

I planted all of mine in the ground a few weeks ago. (I ordered an entire flat from High Country Gardens). We have dipped into upper 30's at night. They are fine. They come from mountainous areas of high elevation in South Africa I believe. I realized recently that I had planted delosperma (a yellow bloomer) in my succulent wall art last year. They survived the winter, and we had a lot of snow this year.

rouge..can get a bag of builder's sand from lowe's or home depot for less than $5 probably (not play sand as it is round, builder's sand is more squarish so they say, That way it won't compact as the play sand would). Mix a couple of handfulls in soil if you think it's too heavy. Some plants just need alittle extra love for their new home.
pix: Osteospurmum barberiae 'Purple Mountain" Z5-9ish, perenn. 12", all season

This message was edited Apr 16, 2012 6:24 PM

Thanks 'kathy for the suggestion.

This message was edited Apr 17, 2012 8:50 AM

Rouge---are you in western PA? That snow forecast is crazy for this time of year!

I planted my fire spinners on both sides of a very long central path. I spaced them apart every 24 inches or so......so a pic right now would be very underwhelming. (little green clumps every 2 feet). But I'll take a pic this summer when they bloom, and the other things I have in those beds get going, too. I tend to line this path with red and orange snapdragons and poppies, and my grapevines also grow there.

I have them in full sun in beds that I have heavily amended with good soil as my yard would otherwise be all clay. Grapevines will provide some shade when they leaf out.