| Plant of the Month: July 2002 |
| Hardy Ice Plants |
| Being fond of odd salad ingredients resulted in my planting of a collection of so-called hardy ice plants and varied other succulents. The aim was to discover which species could survive outdoors in Seattle, and to compare their performance, appearance and flavor. This is my initial report. Some of the plants were set out in spring of 2000, so have had two full years. |
| The ice plants on the whole are South African, and involve many genera in the family Aizoaceae. This family is related to the Cactus clan, though the flowers look superficially like they belong in the sunflower family. The Ice Plant Family has close to 2,000 species. Most of these are killed by winter frosts. The best-known genus of the "hardy" ice plants is Delosperma, of more than 150 species, all African succulent shrubs or herbs. |
| For my ice-plant collection I selected the sunny, well-drained base of a Douglas Fir. The space is small, about 15 square feet. As a mulch I used pumice, in order to reflect light, increase drainage, reduce soil splatter from rain or watering, and to make weed-pulling easier. Though the bed was made mostly for ice-plants, I also added other succulents (Aloinopsis, Crassula, Dudleya, Echeveria, Graptopetalum, Kalanchoe, Portulacaria, Sempervivum), and some Thymus pannonicus seedlings. Some plants have perished, others have run rampant. I consider the bed a test plot. The list following indicates briefly my success and opinion with each taxon. |
I will continue my tests and report more later.
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photo by Lacia Lynne Bailey |
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