Return to the Northeast Coastal Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Delosperma
| | |
Posted by softfurn z7 LI (My Page) on Thu, Jun 17, 04 at 20:18
| Hi all. I just put in three little Delosperma Basutoland this spring.I mail ordered them and they arrived as plugs. Well these cute little buggers are getting settled in and starting to spread so .....I'm thinking I need to learn about them because I will have to divide them probably in the next year. Do any of you grow delosperma and know the growing conditions it likes? Do I feed it anything special? Does it like a big drink? and , does it winter well in our climate? TIA. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 22, 04 at 10:58
| I just got one to experiment with. It came in a quart container and is a good, big plant. These hardy varieties are supposed to do well in zones 7 and 6, and some are reputed to tolerate zone 5. Since this is my first delosperma, I can't speak from experience, but according to the cultivation information I've read, it likes "well drained soil." I am adding sand and compost to my clay soil to improve conditions for the plant. It also is a sunloving plant, so I'm putting it where it will get full sun. When I was in northern California, I saw delosperma all along the coast near Carmel and Point Sur. It was thriving in dry, sunny, rocky soil on the roadsides and shoulders. Since it's a succulent... all of those fleshy, juicy leaves... you know it's adapted to dry places and can store water in droughty weather. So, it's not going to like constantly moist soil. A big drink in well drained soil is okay, I think, because the water will drain out and not puddle around roots. But if your soil is heavy and holds too much moisture, it won't be happy. That's my gut feeling. Anyway, let's see how they do and compare notes later in the summer. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Cady, Would you happen to know if we feed it anything? Do we do anything special come winter? I don't have anything in any of my garden books about this plant. I guess because it is a s. African plant I'm thinking heat,.... not heat , humidity, snow as in LI.I do have mostly sand, so that is why it is probably thriving now. I can't wait to see the flowers. this one has the yellow flowers, not the pink as the more common varieties. Please keep me posted if you find out anything further and I will do the same. Thanks. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Wed, Jun 23, 04 at 11:14
Softfurn,
I am guessing that as long as the soil is well drained and has compost mixed in, the plants will be fine. I have the same variety as you, and when I planted it I ammended the clay soil with a mix of good compost and rough sand well blended together. For winter, they will die to the ground, so just make sure that drainage is good and cover the area with mulch. The hardiness comes in with the roots surviving and reshooting when warm weather returns. At least, that's what I'm hoping. :) |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Sat, Jun 26, 04 at 16:36
| I late-wintersowed D. cooperi this year, and have about 15 plugs to put out soon. It likes dry soil and lots of sun, and apart from physical damage to it's fairly tender 'leaves' it should have no problem with our climate. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Does anyone think we will see any flowers this year? I see no signs of buds yet. This is like the big mystery plant to me......it's just so different than anything else I have in the garden.Susan |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 6, 04 at 10:13
| Parkseed says it blooms in 4 months from germination. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 6, 04 at 10:56
| No signs of buds on my ice plant either, Susan. The plant looks great, nice and healthy. It likes it's location in the sun. But it doesn't seem to have any plans to flower anytime soon. At least we have lots of summer coming up. A few more sunny warm weeks and maybe the blooming will take off. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| This is turning into the loooooooooooooooooogggggggestttttt gestation. I'm still waiting! |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 27, 04 at 2:37
So am I.
At least our plants are ALIVE. So far. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Fri, Aug 20, 04 at 8:08
 Sowed on May 3. Less than 4 months to bloom. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Awwww. He's so cute! Congratulations! This one is a bit different from Basotuland. Our leaves look more like pudgy babies fingers. And I'm still waiting!Did you do anything special...like feed it?How did you start from seed, directly outdoors or winter sow? |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Fri, Aug 20, 04 at 9:05
| softfurn...sowed 3 seeds each to 1.5" plant bands, and planted out when they were ready. They got watered in with compost tea when I planted them out. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Fri, Aug 20, 04 at 10:31
| Not a flower bud on mine, but the foliage has really taken off. One small plant has spread out to 12" in one season. Maybe next year it will bloom. I think it put all its focus into roots and leaves this summer. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Mine has no flowers yet either. Has spread well, and roots as it spreads, compared to the other ice plant. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Well................... I guess this means I'm not getting any flowers this year!Do you suppose the leaves will turn red like they are supposed to????? |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 12, 04 at 6:56
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 12, 04 at 13:06
Donn,
What variety is that? My "Basutoland," like Softfurn's, didn't offer even a single bloom this year. It did spread a LOT, though. The foliage has quadrupled in expanse. So maybe it's just prepping for a big flower performance next year. ;^/ |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 12, 04 at 13:51
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| Nice pics Donn. Did you read the thread on ice plant on the perennial forum? You may need to take some cuttings for next year according to those folk. Cady, what is your opinion??? Ours is supposed to be a hardier version, but then again, we didn't get flowers. Mine did spread to a 14" plant. This summer was not as hot as it usually gets so I'm wondering if that set the blooms back, but then, I should have seen a few buds by now.....hmmm. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 12, 04 at 21:02
Thanks Donn.
I know I saw D. cooperi at the garden center. Now I wish I had gotten some. Softfurn, my Basutoland got as big as yours. We seem to have the same experience with this plant. Maybe they just spent their first season developing roots and leaves, and they'll produce LOTS of flowers next year. lol |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Wed, Oct 13, 04 at 9:35
| I read it, Cady, but Park's says cooperi is hardy to Z6. Besides, it wintersows so well, I could grow it as an annual if it doesn't come back. I plan to do a lot of it this winter. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| I bought several Delosperma cooperi from High Country Gardens this spring and they did well. In mid August I moved them from an extremely arid bed which "baked", to an equally full-sun raised bed with better soil. They established nicely and are in bloom right now. Donn, will it self-sow from the plants I have? |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z 7, seaside,NY (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 28, 04 at 6:35
| I imagine it will self-sow, because mine are literally full of ripening seedpods. I watch them all day every day so I can collect the seeds when they're ready. The plants have already filled the space they're in, with nothing more than their normal spreading, but I want lots more of them. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| THERE HERE!!!! My first flowers on this little bugger. It turned red during the winter and reverted back to green as the days warmed up. Today the first buds opened up...not as large as they are supposed to be , but maybe they get larger with each passing day. What is interesting is that you can not tell a flower bud from a leaf so the flowers come on pretty quick. I don't have a camera to show you all...sorry. Susan |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Mon, May 23, 05 at 12:56
| Yay, softfurn! I'm envious. Not only did mine not flower, it didn't make it through winter either. It turns out that I had planted it in a place that stayed wet, which iceplant doesn't like. Cold wet feet did it in. I'm getting a new one and putting it in the alpine trough this time. Plus, I'm only buying one that has flowers or buds on it already. :) |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
| did you water the delosperma during the winter? mine is currently planted in an area that i think is too moist. i have thought about moving it to a pot, but wondered if the roots would survive the lack of good insulation during the winter. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Cady 6b/Sunset34 MA (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 25, 05 at 15:58
| I didn't water it, but the soil where I put it had too much clay and poor drainate, so the plant got rotted out. This time, I'm ammending the soil with coarse sand. I have a raised bed where the soil is hand mixed with sand and compost, and the plants there overwinter with no difficulty. Iceplant has completel caught on up here. All the garden centers sell several varieties. It's definitely a good rock garden specimen and worth finding a place for. |
RE: Delosperma
| | |
- Posted by Donn_ Z7, GSB, LI, NY (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 26, 05 at 17:42
| I didn't do anything to mine over the winter, and it came back like gangbusters this year. It started blooming in May, and hasn't stopped. 
|
|
|
|
|
