Annuals & Biennials

Mesembryanthemum
ice plant, Livingstone daisy

- Height 4-6 in (10-15 cm)
- Planting distance 6 in (15 cm)
- Flowers early to late summer
- Any well-drained soil
- Sunny site
- Tender annual

The Livingstone daisy, originally from South Africa, has astonishingly brilliant pink, lavender, red, orange, and yellow daisylike flowers with slender petals. The dazzling display will last from early to late summer, if they are grown in a dry, sunny spot. The thick pale green leaves have a glistening, frosty appearance - hence the name "ice plant." Since the plants are less than 6 in (15 cm) high and have a trailing habit, they are most attractive on banks, in rock gardens, and along the edges of borders. Grow them in large clusters.

Popular species and cultivars
Garden cultivars, developed from Mesembryanthemum criniflorum (syn. Dorotheanthus bellidiformis), are more available than the true species.
'Lunette' has flowers with clear yellow petals arranged around deep rust-red central disks.
'Magic Carpet Hybrids' are a mixture of red, orange, pink, lavender, and yellow flowers; some have a white band around the dark central disks.

Annuals
and
Biennials