Ice plants: Worthy of wider usage

Plant names have always been fascinating to me for a number of reasons. When I first started studying plants, it always seemed easier for me to remember the more outlandish botanical names than the plainer ones. I suppose this is because the more it twisted my tongue to try to pronounce an unusual name, the more frequently I’d repeat it. More recently, I spend less time thinking about how names sound, and more time thinking about what they mean and what those names tell us about the plants themselves. More often than not, a plant’s name tells us something important about where that plant is from, who discovered it, what it looks like, how it grows, and so on. What exactly that is might not always be evident on first glance, however.

Let me give you an example. Suppose I’m a plant that blooms from April to October, with colorful, daisy-like flowers. I’m a low-growing, spreading perennial that loves sun and dry soil. In fact I’m a succulent, and this means that I thrive with little to no water. I’m native to Africa. What would you name me?  Why, ice plant, of course! Huh?

Ice plant is the common name of several species of the genus Delosperma, most notably Delosperma cooperi, and several other hybrids. Although it’s not evident why the name ice plant fits based on the description I shared, it does start to make sense on further inspection. Ice plant’s leaves are plump, fleshy green leaves with bladder-like hairs on them.  These hairs reflect light in a way that makes it appear on occasion that there are crystals on the leaves. This effect can make it appear as though a layer of frost or ice glistens on the tips of the leaves.

Top: Ice plant works well as a hanging plant in baskets or on walls or fences.

Lower left: It also makes a very attractive groundcover. Photo: S. Ehsani,
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Lower right:  Ice plant loves sun and dry soil.

Make of that explanation what you will. Regardless, ice plant is an interesting addition to the landscape because it is a long-blooming, reliably hardy perennial plant that thrives in tough situations. It’s a great fit for rock gardens, the hottest and driest corners of the landscapes, on slopes or near walls and paths, or in hanging baskets and containers. Ice plant is also resistant to deer and salt.

Delosperma cooperi blooms are pinkish-purple, but there are hybrid cultivars that bloom dark purple, red, yellow, and white. It makes a colorful carpet wherever it is planted. Think of other favorite creeping perennials such as phlox, which gives a fantastic burst of color for a few weeks in early spring and then all but disappears for the rest of the year. Ice plant grows in many of the same spots, but tolerates more extreme heat and drought, and flowers for an extra four months. It may not ever replace phlox entirely, but it certainly is worthy of wider usage.
 
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.