Ornamental · Aizoaceae
Ice Plant
Delosperma cooperi
Give it full sun and sharp drainage, and this succulent paints a low carpet of jewel-toned flowers all summer.
Full sun
USDA 6–10
3–6 in · 8–15 cm
Overview
Ice plant is a low, mat-forming succulent from South Africa that spreads into a dense carpet of fleshy, finger-like leaves. Through summer it covers itself in daisy-like flowers in shades of purple, pink, orange, and yellow that catch the light like crushed glass. It rarely climbs past 3 to 6 inches tall, so it works as a groundcover, an edging, or a spiller over a wall or rockery.
What sets this one apart from the many plants sharing the name is its cold hardiness. Delosperma cooperi shrugs off winters down to USDA zone 6, well below the range of the tender ice plants most people picture. It pairs that toughness with real drought and heat tolerance, which makes it a natural for hot, dry banks where little else holds the soil.
The trade-off is that it has no patience for wet feet. Everything about growing it well comes down to drainage. Give it gritty soil and full sun and it almost looks after itself, but leave it sitting in cold, soggy ground over winter and it melts away.
Care
The short version: full sun, gritty fast-draining soil, and a light hand with the watering can. Let it dry out between drinks, keep it nearly dry through winter, and it asks for almost nothing else.
Light
Ice plant wants full sun, 6 or more hours of direct light a day. It tolerates a little partial sun, but anything shadier gives you weak, stretched growth and only a scattering of flowers.
Water
Water sparingly, and only once the soil has dried out completely. Through the growing season an occasional deep drink is plenty, and over winter it should stay nearly dry. This is a true succulent, and overwatering is the fastest way to lose it.
Soil
Drainage is everything. Plant in a gritty, sharply drained sandy or gravelly mix, and if your ground runs to clay, dig in plenty of grit or build a raised spot. Soggy soil rots the crown.
Temperature
It's remarkably tough on both ends, hardy from about -9°F to 100°F (-23°C to 38°C). That cold tolerance is what lets it overwinter outdoors in zones where most succulents give up.
Humidity
It prefers low humidity and dry air, which is no surprise for a plant built for hot, dry banks. Damp, still conditions do it no favors, so good airflow helps it stay healthy.
Feeding
It barely needs feeding. In lean, well-drained soil you can skip it entirely, and at most give a light, balanced feed in spring. Rich soil and heavy feeding only produce soft, floppy growth.
Pruning
Shear the mat lightly after the main flush of bloom to tidy it up and coax a second round of flowers. In spring, clear away any dead or frost-damaged growth to make room for the fresh shoots.
Repotting
A container-grown plant needs repotting only every 2 to 3 years. Watch for roots poking through the drainage holes or the center of the mat thinning out, which means the pot has filled up and it's time to move on.
Size & spacing
Plants stay low at 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) tall but spread into a wide mat of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm). Space them so the carpets can knit together without piling up on each other.
When to plant
Ice plant is a hardy perennial, so once it's in the ground it returns on its own each year. Set new plants out in spring after the worst frost has passed, and expect the flowers to roll in from June through September. Cold isn't the worry in winter; wet soil is.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Harvest: Summer; flowers roughly June to September
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–10
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Ice plant has few problems, and nearly all of them trace back to one thing: too much water sitting around the roots. Learn to spot the early signs and most issues are easy to head off. Match what you see below, then act before a soft patch spreads.
Plant blackens or never wakes up after winter
This is crown and root rot, the one thing that kills an otherwise tough plant. Cold, wet soil sitting around the crown all winter turns the stems and roots soft and mushy, and heavy clay makes it worse. Dig in grit, plant on a raised, sharply drained spot, and keep gravel rather than bark mulch against the base.
Fix:
- Improve drainage with grit or gravel and replant in a raised, sharply drained spot
- Avoid bark mulch over the crown; use gravel instead
- Provide a sheltered, drier site in marginal zones
Sticky residue or cottony spots on the foliage
Two sap-feeders cause this. Aphids crowd the tender new growth and twist it out of shape, while mealybugs leave white cottony masses tucked along the stems. Knock them off with a hard jet of water, and reach for insecticidal soap only if they keep coming back.
Fix:
- Rinse off with a strong jet of water
- Treat with insecticidal soap if populations persist
Few flowers and weak, stretched stems
This is too little sun, plain and simple. A plant tucked in shade reaches for light and barely blooms, while the same plant in an open spot covers itself in flowers. Move it somewhere that catches 6 or more hours of direct sun a day.
Fix:
- Relocate to a position receiving 6 or more hours of direct sun
Toxicity
Good news for pet owners and parents: ice plant is not known to be toxic, and there are no reports of cats, dogs, or other animals being harmed by brushing past it or nibbling a leaf. One honest footnote: this species on its own hasn't been formally evaluated for toxicity; the ASPCA's non-toxic 'Ice Plant' listing actually covers a close relative, not Delosperma cooperi itself. So it's best treated as low-risk rather than certified safe, and it's still worth steering pets and kids away from snacking on it, as with any garden plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Non-toxic
Nothing to worry about here. A curious cat that nibbles a fleshy stem won't come to harm from this succulent.
Dogs Non-toxic
Safe around dogs. A dog that digs up a clump or chews a few leaves should be perfectly fine.
Horses Non-toxic
No cause for concern if a horse grazes the foliage along a border or path.
Rabbits Non-toxic
Rabbits can nibble the soft leaves without trouble, though they rarely bother with a succulent this fleshy.
Livestock Non-toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep are in no danger from the mat or its flowers.
Birds Non-toxic
Garden birds and backyard poultry can peck at it safely.
People Non-toxic
Handling the plant poses no risk, and a stray nibble by a child is no emergency.
Varieties
Plant breeders have given hardy ice plant a wide color range, and a few series and selections stand out from the rest. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Jewel of Desert series
Compact, free-flowering cultivars that come in colors from peridot-yellow to garnet-red and are widely listed by the RHS.
Wheels of Wonder series (e.g., Hot Pink Wonder, Orange Wonder)
Vigorous spreading selections grown for their unusually large flowers.
'Mesa Verde' (Delosperma 'Kelaidis')
A salmon-pink Plant Select introduction that arose as a sport of a dwarf alpine form of D. cooperi at Denver Botanic Gardens.
How to propagate
Ice plant is among the easiest plants to multiply. Take your pick of three methods, all of them simple and forgiving, whether you want a single new plant or a tray of them.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 2-4 weeks to root
Cuttings are the quickest way to make more. Take short, fleshy stem segments from spring through summer, let the cut ends callus over for a day or two, then push them into a gritty mix where they root in 2 to 4 weeks.
DivisionEasy
Spring · One growing season
An established mat divides without fuss. Lift it in spring and split it apart, and the rooted runners transplant straight into new ground, filling in over a single growing season.
SeedEasy
Spring · One growing season
Seed is reliable if you want a lot of plants. Surface-sow the fine seed in spring and give it warmth and light, and the seedlings reach a planting-out size over one growing season.
Myths
Every plant called 'ice plant' is the same species and equally weedy or toxic.
Several unrelated Aizoaceae genera share the name. The invasive coastal weed is Carpobrotus, and the ASPCA's non-toxic 'ice plant' is Lampranthus piquetbergensis. Hardy Delosperma cooperi is a distinct ornamental and shouldn't be lumped in with either.
Ice plant needs frequent watering to thrive.
It's a drought-tolerant succulent that does best in dry, sharply drained ground. Wet soil is what kills it, since the crown and roots rot when they stay soggy.