Colloquially, the term ice plant is used in this country for various types of plants, but the most important representatives of the ice plants are the blooming beauties of the genus Delosperma. These plants, which mainly come from South Africa and have a particularly persistent flowering period, can also be easily propagated by hobby gardeners.

The ice plant is relatively easy to propagate

The propagation of delosperma by cuttings

For propagation via cuttings, finger-length pieces of non-woody shoots should be cut off from the selected ice plant mother plants in spring or autumn. It is best to press them lightly into the leanest possible soil in a planter. Then place the container with the cuttings in a sheltered place with as little direct sunlight as possible. During the following two to three weeks, the ice plant cuttings should be watered as little as possible or not at all. Roots have usually formed as soon as new growth appears on the shoots. Then the rooted cuttings can also be carefully transplanted into another pot or into a rock garden.

Grow midday flowers from seeds yourself

The Latin name Delosperma describes the shape of the open seed pods of the ice plants. As a result, in suitable locations in the garden, the plants often self-seede relatively unnoticed. Seeds for controlled sowing are either bought commercially or collected with the seed pods after flowering and kept dry. From February, the seeds of the ice plant are sown on the windowsill and always kept slightly moist. The following conditions are also important for successful cultivation:

  • Temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius
  • only cover the seeds very thinly with substrate
  • bright, but without direct sunlight

Create the optimal conditions for midday flowers in the garden

In order for the ice plants to be able to expand into large cushions and carpets with many individual flowers in the garden, you do not need a lot of care, but you do need suitable site conditions. The most important location factors include the following conditions:

  • good water drainage (waterlogging leads to rotting of the plants)
  • Rock garden surface where a layer of gravel retains heat
  • if possible all-day and unrestricted sun exposure

tips

Not all subspecies of the genus Delosperma are fully hardy in Central Europe. Basically, the species that only grow a few centimeters high along the ground are more winter-hardy than species that grow higher. Midday flowers grown from seeds or cuttings should be planted out in early spring, if possible, so that the plants can grow well at the location until winter.

Category:

Herbs