Delosperma – stardust in your garden and home

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Delosperma (Delosperma) is a genus of undersized succulents of the Aizov family (Aizoaceae), naturally growing on the African continent. Beautifully flowering crops, used in indoor and garden floriculture .

  • Family: aizovye.
  • Origin: East and South Africa.
  • Rootstock: fleshy.
  • Stem: branched, sometimes woody.
  • Leaves: lanceolate, succulent.
  • Fruit: box.
  • Reproductive ability: propagated by seeds and vegetatively.
  • Illumination: light-requiring.
  • Watering: does not tolerate waterlogging.
  • Content temperature: thermophilic, there are frost-resistant species.
  • Flowering time: May to September, depending on the species.

Description of the delosperma flower

Perennial succulent shrubs or ground cover grasses 10-30 cm high, with branched or creeping stems and fleshy elongate-lanceolate leaves, green or bluish-green, smooth or covered with bristles, in some representatives – with pointed papillae . Because of the shiny calcium crystals that stand out on the surface, outwardly similar to ice floes. The delosperm flower is sometimes referred to as the “ice plant”.

The roots are fleshy, with nodules or thickened rhizomes that serve to store moisture.

Delosperma flowers are white, pink, purple or yellow, star-shaped, often with shiny petals, up to 7 cm in diameter. They close at night and in bad weather, protecting the pollen from getting wet. They bloom profusely and for a long time, some species – from late spring to autumn.

Delosperma in the photo

The fruits are multi-celled capsules that open only when moisture gets on them and scatter very small seeds at a distance of no more than 1.5 m, which explains the narrow area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of the plant in nature.

Delosperms: popular types and varieties

There are more than 100 species in the genus. Most of them are indoor plants , some mountain varieties can be grown in gardens of the middle lane. Below are descriptions and photos of delosperms recommended for open ground.

Delosperma profusely flowering (D. floribundum) , one of our most common species, with bluish-green leaves and numerous pink flowers with a white center up to 3 cm in diameter, blooming in June. It blooms in the first year after planting, so it can be grown as an annual. There is a frost-resistant variety – delosperma “Stardust” (Sturdust), up to 10 cm high with large, up to 5 cm, lilac-violet flowers, hibernates under cover.

Delosperma Cooper (D. cooperi) , a compact bush up to 15 cm high, with grayish-green cylindrical leaves, decorated with numerous papillae . Flowers pink-lilac, up to 5 cm in diameter. In mild climates, it hibernates without shelter.

A number of hybrids and varieties have been bred, among them:

Dark purple John Proffit.

Salmon pink Kelaidis.

Frost-resistant forms:

Fuchsia pink Table Mountain.

Dwarf pink Mesa Verde.

Delosperms are less common in gardens:

Yellow crowded (D. congestum) .

Golden or orange cloudy (D. nubigenum) .

Dwarf species with attractive leaves, more winter hardy than those described above.

Cultivation of delosperma

To grow Delosperm successfully, provide full sunlight and loose, well-drained, non-acidic, nutrient-poor soil, preferably with the addition of gravel or sand.

In the shade or with an excess of fertilizer, it stretches, blooms not so profusely. It is drought-resistant, but in hot dry weather requires regular watering without stagnant water. Flowering bushes are fed with mineral fertilizer once every two weeks.

Delosperma is planted on southern slopes, in rocky gardens, and is suitable for growing in pots, containers and balconies. Frost-resistant species hibernate under air-dry shelter (fir branches, wooden box), they suffer more not from low temperatures, but from damping out during thaws. When grown in containers, they can be placed in the basement or on the windowsill for the winter.

The flower is propagated by seeds, which are sown in March-April for seedlings, or by cuttings. Cuttings take root well, are harvested in the spring, when grown in a room – all year round.

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