Annual Mixed Dorotheanthus bellidiformis Ice PlantLooking for a unique addition to your garden or meadow this year? This annual Ice Plant mixture is the perfect choice! Vibrant colors of orange, pink, purple, red and yellow liven up the summer garden and this succulent is easy to grow, needing full sun and well-draining soil.
Mixed Annual Ice plant, also known as Livingstone Daisy or Mesembryanthemum, is a low-growing succulent with daisy-like flowers. The mixture is composed of vibrant shades of orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow. It makes an excellent groundcover, creates colorful borders and works well in containers. Annual Iceplant needs sunny locations and well-draining soils.Count: 50 seedsIce Plant is the bright-flowered groundcover so common and loved on the West Coast, but hardly known at all in the east. It’s a succulent, a lot like a short Sedum, but the flowers are the big thing--look at those sizzling hot pink daisies. Everybody loves them, and the plant spreads rapidly with trailing runners. Why are these plants so popular out west? Visit the Pacific coast, all the way from San Diego up to Seattle, and you'll see these little bright daisies everywhere--edging walks, filling planters, and adding great color under foundation plantings. Why don't we see them more in the east? See the story below, and get some going in your garden! Pick a site with full sun and gritty, sharp-draining soil, and add them to your garden. You'll be amazed at the big show!The Ice Plant story. Garden expert Todd Boland, a horticulturalist at The College of the North Atlantic, in Newfoundland, explains it all in one of his articles at DavesGarden.com. (Link below.) It seems a famous garden expert named Panayoti Kelaidis of the Denver Botanical Garden is almost single-handedly responsible for introducing these beauties to the US. They are from South Africa, and Mr. Kelaidis traveled there to find new plants suitable for growing in the dry, gritty soils of our western states. The Delospermas he introduced are now great favorites, especially in California. But as Mr. Boland points out, there's no reason eastern and mid-western gardeners cant enjoy Ice Plants. Mr. Boland actually brings D. cooperi, one of the most cold-hardy, through his wet cold winters in Newfoundland, so don't worry about the plants hardiness!Sowing: Direct sow seeds in late fall, pressing them lightly into the surface of the soil since they need light to germinate. For spring planting, mix the seeds with moist sand and store in the refrigerator for 30-60 days before planting; keep the soil moist until germination, which usually takes place within 14-21 days. This seed can also be started indoors 6-8 weeks before planting in the spring; transplant the seedlings outdoors after the last chance of frost.Growing: Water seedlings until they become established, but do not overwater. Mature plants tolerate drought well and make an excellent choice for dry slopes, rock gardens, or other dry and sunny locations. These plants may reseed themselves in favorable growing conditions.Harvesting: For cut flowers, choose stems with flowers that have just opened. Strip the foliage that will fall below the water level, and place in water immediately.
Mixed Annual Ice plant, also known as Livingstone Daisy or Mesembryanthemum, is a low-growing succulent with daisy-like flowers. The mixture is composed of vibrant shades of orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow. It makes an excellent groundcover, creates colorful borders and works well in containers. Annual Iceplant needs sunny locations and well-draining soils.Count: 50 seedsIce Plant is the bright-flowered groundcover so common and loved on the West Coast, but hardly known at all in the east. It’s a succulent, a lot like a short Sedum, but the flowers are the big thing--look at those sizzling hot pink daisies. Everybody loves them, and the plant spreads rapidly with trailing runners. Why are these plants so popular out west? Visit the Pacific coast, all the way from San Diego up to Seattle, and you'll see these little bright daisies everywhere--edging walks, filling planters, and adding great color under foundation plantings. Why don't we see them more in the east? See the story below, and get some going in your garden! Pick a site with full sun and gritty, sharp-draining soil, and add them to your garden. You'll be amazed at the big show!The Ice Plant story. Garden expert Todd Boland, a horticulturalist at The College of the North Atlantic, in Newfoundland, explains it all in one of his articles at DavesGarden.com. (Link below.) It seems a famous garden expert named Panayoti Kelaidis of the Denver Botanical Garden is almost single-handedly responsible for introducing these beauties to the US. They are from South Africa, and Mr. Kelaidis traveled there to find new plants suitable for growing in the dry, gritty soils of our western states. The Delospermas he introduced are now great favorites, especially in California. But as Mr. Boland points out, there's no reason eastern and mid-western gardeners cant enjoy Ice Plants. Mr. Boland actually brings D. cooperi, one of the most cold-hardy, through his wet cold winters in Newfoundland, so don't worry about the plants hardiness!Sowing: Direct sow seeds in late fall, pressing them lightly into the surface of the soil since they need light to germinate. For spring planting, mix the seeds with moist sand and store in the refrigerator for 30-60 days before planting; keep the soil moist until germination, which usually takes place within 14-21 days. This seed can also be started indoors 6-8 weeks before planting in the spring; transplant the seedlings outdoors after the last chance of frost.Growing: Water seedlings until they become established, but do not overwater. Mature plants tolerate drought well and make an excellent choice for dry slopes, rock gardens, or other dry and sunny locations. These plants may reseed themselves in favorable growing conditions.Harvesting: For cut flowers, choose stems with flowers that have just opened. Strip the foliage that will fall below the water level, and place in water immediately.