Delosperma Desert Dancers Red - Ice Plant

Delosperma Desert Dancers 'Red' is a new cultivar of Delosperma that stands out for its intensely coloured foliage. Dense, tight, succulent, and dark green, it is strongly tinged with purple-red in summer. The bright red flowers with a small yellow center bloom relentlessly in summer, even in hot and intense sunlight. With a well-rounded cushion habit, this perennial thrives in warm climates and forms beautiful colored tillers between June and October, even in dry and poor soil, in borders, pots, and green roofs.

Delosperma belongs to the family of Aizoaceae. Cousins of Mesembryanthemum, they are perennials native to South Africa, East Africa, and Madagascar, perfectly suited for hot and dry climates. They settle between stones, paving slabs, or on a dry slope, as long as they find some substrate. The Desert Dancers series offers classic hardiness for a delosperma, around -10 to -12°C, in well-drained soil. If your region experiences such or lower temperatures, place it in a pot or container that you can bring indoors during winter.

Desert Dancers 'Red' Purslane has trailing, ramified stems that easily root, colonising the space up to 1m wide under favourable conditions. They bear small, succulent, dark green cylindrical leaves in spring. These leaves are sessile (without petiole), very fleshy, warty, and measure about 3cm. In summer, the foliage becomes strongly purple-red. The vegetation forms a small tiller 10 to 15cm in height that is covered with flowers grouped in cymes. Each flower has a corolla of fine ligules colored bright red, surrounding a yellow eye. The flowering period extends over a long period, bringing vibrant colors to neglected areas.

Delosperma Desert Dancers 'Red' thrives in a very sunny exposure, above walls, in rockeries, or in pots on the patio or balcony. Its trailing vegetation can also cascade from a hanging basket that you can bring indoors during winter if necessary. It is an excellent rockery plant. It pairs well with Sedums, Dianthus, Osteospermum, and Wall Bellflowers. Alternatively, plant it as an evergreen groundcover with plants with similar needs, such as Stachys or Valerian. Containers composed of different varieties allow you to create a dense, colorful foliage carpet for long months with minimal maintenance.