Plant of the Month – April
0Orange Form Ice Plant
Lampranthus aureus ‘Orange Form’
- Plant Form: Succulent ground cover
- Water Use: Low, medium
- Mature Size: 1-2 ft. tall x 3-6 ft. wide
- Exposure: Full sun
- Bloom Time: Spring (Mar-May), Winter (Dec-Jan)
- Native to: South America
- Hardiness: Cold hardy to 25°F
Orange Form Ice Plant will knock your socks off when it is smothered with neon orange flowers in early spring. The 1 ½-inch shiny flowers open at 9 am and close at 5 pm…their work done for the day. This easy-to-grow succulent forms a rounded, compact shrub 2 feet tall and wide, with dark green, fleshy, cylindrical leaves that can root when branches touch the soil. It tolerates poor soils, heat, and infrequent irrigation, but can’t abide excessive moisture or a hard frost. Gardeners in cold winter climates treat ice plants as annuals. It is resistant to rabbits and deer, but attracts butterflies, birds, and pollinators. You can grow this ice plant by division, cuttings, or seeds. Orange Form Ice Plant can be used to bring brilliant color to rock gardens, cactus gardens, steep slopes or embankments, raised planters, stone walls, hanging baskets, and containers.
Comments