Delosperma Floribunda named Stardust #3
by J McCombie
Title
Delosperma Floribunda named Stardust #3
Artist
J McCombie
Medium
Photograph - Untouched
Description
A small Hoverfly visits the Delisperma. The petals on this flower have a sparkly metallic sheen to them and they are rather narrow with a reflexed curve, which remind me of the tines or prongs of a fan rake. As such, they are always in motion with the slightest breeze, giving them that Christmas tinsel or foil ornament shimmer.
The perfect plant for that hot, dry spot in your borders or alpine and rockeries, patio, ground covers, wildlife gardens, low maintenance gardens, or coastal gardens. Dwarf, shiny, deep green, almost metallic-looking succulent foliage bursts into bloom from mid May. Plants are covered with spectacular flowers until the first frost. Although tiny, it is showy and hardy to zone 6! Low maintenance, drought tolerant, deer resistant and loved by butterflies!
Delosperma ('delos'=evident, 'sperma'=seed) is a genus of around 100 species of succulent plants, formerly included in Mesembryanthemum in the family Aizoaceae. The hardy Ice Plants are native to dry areas in Eastern and Southern Africa where they inhabit rocky scree high up on mountain ranges that are cold and exceptionally dry, but are amazingly hardy in North America, provided they are grown in very well-drained soil.
Delosperma floribundum 'Starburst' (Ice Plant Starburst). A South African introduction (1994). Glowing and shimmery, 1.5-2" solitary, violet-blue/magenta daisy-like flowers with many fine metallic petals punched up with those surprising large, white inner eyes where it connects to the yellow centers. The flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon, with new blossoms emerging each day. This species forms a low tidy and mat forming mound to only 2 tall of densely packed, succulent, fleshy, evergreen linear leaves that are shiny, deep grey-green, almost metallic-looking. The plant clump spreads gradually, rooting as it grows to create colonies. Its quite the fun and splashy edger blooming in Spring and again in Fall.
This plant, like most succulents, suffers in cold, waterlogged conditions and poorly drained soils. Give Starburst full sun and well-drained, even sandy soil. Though it is most often found in coastal gardens, its cold hardiness brings them to the rock gardens and natural rocky outcroppings in arid mountain ranges. Limit watering in the late fall to ensure roots are dry through the winter months to prevent crown rot.
Uploaded
November 14th, 2015
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