Delospermum Desert Dancers Red

hardy ice plant

This is a summer like no other, and desiccated is the only word to describe our garden; I was going to add, it’s like a desert, when I realised that by happy coincidence my chosen plant today is indeed a desert dancer so no wonder it’s looking so happy! Being new to me this year, I planted it in a container so I could easily keep an eye on it in its first season – I am already hooked. Admittedly I’ve watered it regularly but having those fleshy succulent leaves, it’s obviously going to be eminently suitable for the dry garden. For those who don’t have a garden notebook, then it’s time to get one now and to start making a plant list entitled ‘drought tolerant’.

The daisy like flowers of this ice plant are eye-popping in their intensity – bright red and perfectly set off by the wine-red/flushed purple foliage. It has a mat-forming habit and is perfect for gravel gardens, troughs and other containers, green roofs and hanging baskets. Ice plants are very hardy but dislike winter wet so a well drained soil is essential.

The breeder of this and other Delosperma is Koichiro Nishikawa who moved to Ecuador with his family in order to better advance his breeding programme – now there’s dedication for you!

NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.

More NB If you’re not already a subscriber and you’d like a bit more gardening chitchat from the3growbags, please type your email address here and we’ll send you a new post every Saturday morning.

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