The Bright Pink Perennial Ground Cover That Can Tolerate High Heat

Picking plants that naturally flourish in your climate and weather conditions helps you to create an easy-to-maintain and lively garden. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere warm, opting for ground covers that thrive in harsh sun and heat provides you with low-effort landscaping. One option for lovers of bold flowers is the creeping shrubby ice plant (Ruschia pulvinaris). With its cheery, bright pink flowers that arrive in spring, it will bring color and fun into your yard. 

Don't let its name fool you. This plant is not about icy habitats at all! Hailing from South Africa, the creeping shrubby ice plant is a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 to 10 and needs full sun. It requires little water, and once established, it can tolerate heat and drought well. If you are thinking of purchasing creeping shrubby ice plants to use for ground cover, be cautious when shopping for them. It may be easy to confuse them with invasive plants you should never grow that share the common name "ice plant," such as the highway ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis). This species is highly invasive along the California coast, causing issues for endangered or threatened native plants.

Before planting creeping shrubby ice plants for ground cover, ensure that the soil is suitable. These plants need loose, well-drained soil, so you may wish to double-dig or add organic matter to the area to improve the soil structure. It's also important to remove any weeds. This will give your ground cover the best start, allowing it to settle in and establish a healthy root system. 

Once the soil is prepped for successful planting, place your creeping shrubby ice plants in a staggered pattern to ensure the best coverage. These plants can spread to around 1 foot, so ensure there is enough space for them to expand. Although it may be tempting to plant them close together when they are young to speed up the cover, this can be detrimental to their health as it will cause them to compete with one another. Water well and mulch after planting.

In the first year, keep on top of any weeds that spring up around your creeping shrubby ice plants. Water regularly during this time, but don't overdo it, as creeping shrubby ice plants are susceptible to root rot in overly wet soils. Once your plants have settled in, they should not need any watering, yet you will see beautiful pink flowers bloom year after year!