Hardy Ice Plant forms a carpet of soft, fleshy green leaves covered with purplish-pink, daisy-like flowers over a long blooming season. Space plants 16-24 inches apart. It flourishes in dry, sandy soil in full sun and is perfect for the xeriscape landscape, rock walls or containers. It is evergreen in warmer winter climate areas but may have trouble returning in wet winter areas. Avoid planting in heavy soils or soils with poor drainage. It is tolerant of heat, moderately salt-tolerant and very drought tolerant. This plant is occasionally damaged by deer. It is a member of the ice plant family (Aizoaceae).
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Very Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Glistening medium to dark green leaves; nearly cylindrical in cross-section. Leaves have bladder-like hairs on the leaf surface that reflects light making them glisten.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Long-lasting; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Mass of 2 in. wide, neon pinkish purple daisy-like flowers summer until fall