Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Grenade'

Delosperma Jewel of Desert Grenade: Orange-Red Blast on a Succulent Mat

With a name like Grenade, you know this ice plant isn't here to whisper. Orange-red petals fading to red-purple at the base, exploding across a low mat over and over again. PULL THE PIN. STAND BACK.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Delosperma cooperi 'DSAA13-1'
• Common Name: Hardy Ice Plant
• Series: Jewel of Desert
• Height: 10–15 cm (4–6 in)
• Spread: 20–30 cm (8–12 in)
• Flowers: Orange-red petals blending to red-purple at the base, with a white ring and yellow centre. They open in sunshine.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to fall (May to September)
• Foliage: Small, succulent green leaves forming a dense, low mat
• Features: Reblooming

Where to Plant: Plant it at the front of a hot, sunny border, along a dry path, in a rock garden, or tucked into the pockets of a stone wall. It's also a great spiller for containers and troughs.

Companion Plants: Use 'Grenade' as a hot carpet at the front of a dry, sunny bed with purple and peach behind it. Agastache 'Mango Tango' adds mango-orange spikes at 41 to 46 cm from July to September. Iris 'Superstition' opens purple-black bearded iris at 90 cm in June and July. Liatris pycnostachya brings tall rose-purple spikes at 90 to 150 cm from July to September. Muhlenbergia capillaris adds a fine clump that turns into a pink haze in September and October.

Plant Care: Give it full sun and soil that drains fast. Sandy, gritty or gravelly soil is ideal. Water through the first few weeks after planting, then only during long droughts. No fertilizer needed. Winter wet is the main risk in our region. Avoid heavy clay and low spots where water sits, or plant it on a slope, a raised bed or a wall. Keep thick mulch and piles of leaves off the crown. There's nothing to cut back. In spring, tidy away any winter-damaged bits. Rooted pieces from the edge of the mat can be moved to fill gaps.

History: Hardy ice plants are succulents from South Africa, and Delosperma cooperi has long been one of the toughest for cold gardens. Grenade was bred by Koichiro Nishikawa, the Japanese hybridizer behind the Jewel of Desert series, from a 2011 self-cross selected in 2012 in his program in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Final Thoughts: Reblooming, drought tolerant once established and deer resistant. Plant it in a hot, dry spot and wait for the BLAST RADIUS OF BEES.