Lampranthus spectabilis (Trailing Ice Plant)

Forming a carpet of fleshy, gray-green succulent leaves, Lampranthus spectabilis (Trailing Ice Plant) is a tender perennial with a sprawling habit that provides a spectacular floral display as it gets covered with an abundance of colorful daisy-like blossoms, about 2 in. (5 cm) across. Surrounding a cluster of golden-yellow stamen in the center, each bloom displays a ring of long, narrow, petals in bright shades of rose, pink, purple, or white. Lampranthus spectabilis blooms heavily from late winter to spring in warm winter areas, and from early summer to early fall in cooler locations. Evergreen, the wiry stems spread out horizontally, bearing small blue-green finger-like leaves, up to 3 in. long (8 cm). The youngest stems often take a reddish color and add to the visual interest of the landscape.

The intensity of the flower color combined with the long blooming season and evergreen foliage reinforce the ornamental interest of this succulent native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. Tolerates light frost.

• Grows up to 6-12 in. tall (15-30 cm) and spreads vigorously to 18-26 in. (45-65 cm) or more. Stems can easily be clipped if they go too far in a given direction.
• Thrives in full sun in dry, well-drained soils. Fast drainage is essential to survival. If conditions are too wet, it will suffer and grow poorly. Tolerates average to nutritionally poor soils, including sandy and gravelly ones. Full sun is best for growth and flowering, but this plant will welcome partial shade from the hottest afternoon summer sun in hot arid desert gardens. Water sparsely during the growing season. Heat, drought, and salt tolerant.
• Deer resistant but attractive to butterflies!
• Easy to grow, Lampranthus is a great groundcover for succulent gardens, slopes, rock gardens, coastal gardens, or naturalized areas. It is also an excellent choice for sunny and dry border fronts and is perfect for containers or hanging baskets where they will attractively spill over.