Cooper’s ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) is a favorite of mine. Don’t let the name fool you – this hardy plant thrives in the dog days of summer. It’s perfect for adding bright color to dry, hot areas of your garden.
You’ll recognize Cooper’s ice plant by its dozens of tiny, bright magenta, daisy-like flowers and fleshy leaves. The plant grows about 1-3” tall and spreads quickly, making it excellent as a ground cover. Its dense mat effectively suppresses weeds, which would struggle to push through the thick foliage.
The African succulent does best when planted in well-drained, sandy soil with full sun, but it can tolerate a range of soil types and even partial shade. You will get less flowers in part shade. It is hardy in USDA zones 6-10, and can be evergreen in warmer zones. I place it in spots in my garden that are hard to grow much else.
How to Propagate Ice Plant
Ice plants are super easy to propagate. You can break off a piece of the plant and bury the end in the soil. Keep the soil moist for a week or so. That’s it!
Where to Plant Cooper’s Ice Plant
This hardy plant loves to spread. Plant it in areas where you don’t mind it sprawling, ideally in spots with full sun. This plant can also do well in:
- containers where it can spill over the edge
- xeriscapes
- a rock garden or along a rock wall
- any hot, dry part of your garden where you still want some bright color without a lot of maintenance
I have mine mixed in with the bright yellow-green hues of sedum ‘gold mound’, which
makes for a lovely color combination.
How to Grow Ice Plant
The low water requirements make Cooper’s ice plant easy to care for. The most common mistake gardeners make is to overwater it.
If you’re anticipating a wet winter month, you may want to add things to your soil to make it easier to drain. You can also opt to plant it in a raised rock garden to avoid this extra step.
It does spread rapidly, so choose its planting location carefully. I use it to fill gaps where nothing else is growing since it can’t outcompete taller plants.
Value to Wildlife and Insects
Cooper’s ice plant attracts bees and butterflies, but it is deer—and rabbit-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about passing critters snacking on its colorful blooms.