Delosperma Sunset® Orange Vibe -Ice plant

Delosperma Ocean Sunset® Orange Vibe is a brilliant groundcover, whose large bright orange flowers follow one another from late spring until autumn. This very low and dense ice plant forms a generally evergreen carpet that thrives in full sun, under heat, and in very well-drained, poor soils. In a rock garden, on a dry slope, or in a pot, this perennial purslane adds a touch of very vivid colour and requires little maintenance.

This Delosperma belongs to the Aizoaceae family, that of ice plants or "false purslanes". The species, often compared to Delosperma nubigenum, is a mat-forming succulent perennial native to the Drakensberg mountains, between Lesotho and South Africa. It grows there in cracks of basaltic rocks, on very well-drained slopes, subject to cold winters and dry summers punctuated by thunderstorms. 
Ocean Sunset® Orange Vibe is a horticultural cultivar classified among the Delosperma hybrida. It was selected by the Dutch company Florsaika Breeding B.V. under the code 'T1821', then integrated into the Ocean Sunset® series. The latter was developed to offer larger flowers, intense colours, and very long flowering both in the ground and in pots. The mature plant forms a dense cushion 10 to 15 cm in height and about 25 to 30 cm in spread. Growth is rapid once the crown is well established. The short, branching, and somewhat fleshy stems creep along the ground and tend to root upon contact with a light substrate. The foliage is more or less evergreen in winter, depending on the climate. It is composed of small, cylindrical or slightly flattened, 1 to 2 cm long, bright green, smooth leaves, full of water. In winter or during periods of severe drought, they can take on reddish or bronze hues. Flowering renews itself from late spring until the first frosts. At the ends of the stems, daisy-shaped flowers, more than 3 cm in diameter, bloom, among the largest observed in Delosperma. Numerous narrow petals radiate around a golden-yellow centre; their colour shifts from a luminous orange to more reddish-orange tones towards the outside. The flowers open widely in full sun and close at night or in very overcast weather.

In the garden, Delosperma Ocean Sunset® Orange Vibe can be grown in a very sunny border, in a rock garden, on a dry slope, or between the stones of a low wall. In a pot or planter, a cactus substrate enriched with gravel suits it well, provided it is allowed to dry out between waterings. This variety forms a perfect association with other hardy Delosperma and sedums Sunsparkler® 'Lime Zinger' or Sunsparkler® 'Blue Pearl', with contrasting foliage. This small scene can be enriched with a few clumps of Euphorbia pithyusa, the Balearic spurge.