Re: Iceplant - Delosperma
Don,
A friend of mine who lives out in Fowlerville (just south of Lansing and, yes,
about two miles from Arrowhead Alpines) has two different species --
Delosperma cooperi and D. (nubigenum? wasn't labeled when she bought it) --
which have been growing and spreading successfully for five years. Her house
is most decidedly in Zone 5A. The ice plants are growing in a raised
pseudo-Alpine bed (I say "pseudo" because I don't want to offend any Alpine
purists -- it's not a "real" Alpine bed). The bed is 8" high, 6' wide and
probably 30' long. When I helped build the bed we amended the truckload of
topsoil with 400 lbs. of medium chicken grit -- drainage is VERY good in that
bed.
One thing about ice plants -- D. cooperi in particular -- that frustrates me
is that, despite looking like a sedum, they go completely dormant in the
winter and come out late in the spring. A person has to be patient with ice
plants and not give them up for dead.
Dean Sliger
Warren, MI, USA
Zone 6B
Don Martinson wrote:
> Is anyone in zone 5 (or colder) growing any of the Delosperma species?
> These are commonly sold as Iceplants. I've been seeing more and more of
> them in catalogs and sometimes they are listed as being hardy to Zone 4 or
> 5. If course, I know how hyperbolic some catalog descriptions are, so I'm
> going to ask if there is anyone on this list with practical experience.
> I'm assuming that one requirement will be excellent drainage.
>
> Don Martinson
> Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (Milwaukee suburb)
> USDA Zone 5 (-10 to -20F)
> AHS Heat Zone #4, Map at:
> ( http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/hz1024.jpg )
>
> l*@execpc.com
>
>
>
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