Ice Plant ‘Orange Crush’

Multi Buy

Size Guide
3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Ice Plant ‘Orange Crush’

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$6.99
Title

Fire up your garden canvas with a sensational carpet of warm, sun-kissed colour. This spectacular succulent groundcover features a tight, ground-hugging cushion of fleshy, finger-like green foliage that explodes into a dense blanket of shimmering, daisy-like blossoms. Each radiant petal showcases an intensely vivid, soft orange hue that melts effortlessly into a delicate, blushing-pink base and a glowing golden center. Its jewel-toned shimmer creates an eye-catching, high-impact statement that breathes life into rockeries, sun-baked crevices, and patio containers.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

2" H x 18" W

Zone:

5-9

Watering:

Low

Type:

Herbaceous Evergreen Perennial

Growth Rate:

Fast

Light:

Full Sun

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Orange Crush Hardy Ice Plant, Congested Ice Plant, Creeping Orange Ice Plant

Scientific Name:

Delosperma congestum 'Orange Crush'

Type:

Spiller / Groundcover / Succulent

Growth Details:

Mature Size: Grows 2 to 3 inches tall with a dense, mat-forming spread of 12 to 24 inches.

Growth Habit: Prostrate, carpet-like, and creeping.

Form: Low-profile, ground-hugging succulent mat.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Flowering: Profuse sheets of single, multi-petaled daisy-shaped flowers.

Flowering Time: Heavy flush from late spring through early summer (April to June), with light periodic reblooms into early autumn.

Flower Colour: Soft, luminous orange petals with a shell-pink ring and a bright gold central eye.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun.

Soil Preferences: Poor, sandy, gravelly, or gritty soils with sharp, rapid drainage.

Soil Tolerance: Highly tolerant of nutrient-depleted gravel, sandy slopes, and salt-heavy roadside soil. Completely intolerant of heavy, poorly draining winter clay.

Watering: Low. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.

Container Role: Functions as a spectacular trailing Spiller or low, structural Filler in shallow alpine troughs and patio pottery.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Highly resistant to powdery mildew and typical leaf spots; vulnerable only to crown rot if overwatered.

Native Species: No (The parent genus originates from alpine areas in South Africa).

Fast Growing: Yes.

Attracts: Attracts wild honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies.

Uses: Water-wise groundcover, rockeries, path borders, retaining walls, and alpine patio pots.

Resistance: Highly deer-resistant and rabbit-resistant due to the tough, fluid-filled texture of its succulent foliage.

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Highly showy flowers open wide on sunny days and completely envelope the foliage for weeks.

Fall Colour: The grayish-green succulent leaves take on a gorgeous, dramatic purplish-bronze hue during autumn and winter.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Crystalline, light-reflecting succulent foliage topped with highly showy, multi-toned orange and pink blossoms.

Landscaping Uses: Perfect for xeriscaping, steep sunny banks prone to erosion, rock gardens, scree beds, filling gaps in stone walls, and firescaping.

Garden / Landscape Benefits: Forms a dense, water-wise weed barrier that thrives in intense heat zones where traditional perennials wilt.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides vital early-season nectar and hydration reserves for wild insect pollinators in dry environments.

Human Value: An essential component for modern xeriscaping and low-maintenance landscaping that offers dramatic curb appeal with zero irrigation demands.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Late spring or early summer when the soil has thoroughly warmed up.

Spacing: Space individual starts 12 to 18 inches apart to allow the creeping stems room to root and knit together.

Location Tips: Select elevated positions, rocky inclines, or raised beds to guarantee moisture runs away from the roots quickly during winter.

Companion Plants: Pairs beautifully with Sedums (Stonecrop), Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum), Blue Fescue Grass, and creeping Thyme.

Care:

Light Requirements: Demands absolute full sun; needs bright, direct daylight for the flowers to properly open each morning.

Moisture Requirements: Exceptionally low; water lightly only during severe, extended droughts once established.

Maintenance, Fertilization: Virtually maintenance-free. Clean up any winter-damaged foliage tips in very early spring before active new growth resumes. Never apply heavy compost or synthetic fertilizers, as this succulent performs best in lean, nutrient-poor conditions.

Tolerances:

Exceptional tolerance for intense summer heat, severe drought, poor or rocky soils, and urban air pollution.

Tips For Success:

Thinning / Pinching: Not required, but stems can be easily trimmed if they creep past their designated border. Broken pieces can simply be pressed into dry soil to root into new plants.

Support / Staking: Completely unnecessary; hugs the ground contour tightly.

Special Needs: Absolute drainage is mandatory. Wet winter soil is fatal to this plant.

Mulching: Mulch strictly with pea gravel, coarse sand, or chicken grit to prevent moisture retention against the crown. Avoid organic bark mulches.

Winter Protection: In colder northern zones with heavy or wet winter snows, protect the dry bed with a loose covering of evergreen boughs.