Delosperma Wheels of Wonder Golden - Ice Plant

The perennial purslane or Delosperma 'Wheels of Wonder Golden' is one of the six varieties in the Wheels of Wonder series, notable for its large, vibrant and pure golden flowers, as well as its vigorous growth. This ground-covering perennial with succulent leaves blooms from June to September, spreading its golden carpets in rock gardens, over walls or cascading from hanging baskets. It loves the sun and tolerates drought well, while being hardy down to -8°C (17.6°F).

This Delosperma is a variety from Japan, selected at the Innovert 2014 competition of the Salon du Végétal. Delosperma, belonging to the family of Aizoaceae, and cousins of mesembryanthemums, are perennials native to South Africa, East Africa, and Madagascar, which are perfectly suited to hot and dry climates. They settle between stones, on the slabs of a pathway, or on a dry slope, as long as they find a bit of substrate. However, if your region experiences freezing temperatures close to -10°C (14°F), place them in pots or containers that you can bring indoors during winter.

This 'Wheels of Wonder Golden' purslane is part of a new series of plants offering flowers twice as large as the typical variety, in a range of 6 vibrant and radiant colours. It has creeping, ramified stems that easily take root, thus colonizing the space with a width that can reach 1m (3ft) under good conditions. They bear succulent, light green, cylindrical leaves. These leaves are sessile, very fleshy, warty, and measure about 3cm (1in). It forms a small clump, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) tall, which is covered with beautiful pure gold flowers grouped in cymes. Each flower has a corolla of fine ligules surrounding a yellow heart. The flowering period extends over a long period, bringing vibrant colours to the most neglected areas.

If you like ice plants, you will be charmed by the Delosperma Wheels of Wonder. The 'Golden' cultivar is a perfect rock garden plant. It therefore goes well with Sedums, Dianthus, and Wall Bellflowers. However, it will be perfect at the base of Stachys and Valerians, with which it shares the same needs: sun and dry soil. Containers composed of different varieties from the 'Wheels of Wonder' series will create a very colourful and easy-to-maintain carpet for a very long period.