The ice plant is a short, bright green plant that will grow all year and bears a fruit that is similar to a fig. It’s a trailing perennial that grows in a structure like a dense, succulent-like carpet with horizontal stems.
The plant starts out a yellowish-green then matures into a rusty-orange color. It also flowers with blooms that can be anywhere from yellow to bright pink. They are originally from South Africa, but today you can find them in spots around the world such as Australia and parts of North America.
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Why Ice Plants Are Good for Homes
The ice plant needs little maintenance and is easy to care for, making it a great plant for decorating with. Keeping an ice plant alive is easy because they don’t need to be watered often, and they are drought tolerant.
They are also great at preventing soil erosion, and because they bloom for the entire summer, they’re a fantastic plant for those who live in hot, dry areas like the desert, and they make a great addition to a rock garden. They can also provide bright color in the summer while remaining attractive the rest of the year.
An Ice Plant Can Be Good for Your Feng Shui Flow
The balanced flow of energy through your home is the focus of feng shui. Are ice plants good for feng shui?
Practicing this ancient art in your home can be helped by using plants indoors, and ice plants are one of them. The bright color can help bring you joy.
It’s known that color affects mood and having a nice balance of colors is an important part of feng shui. Using an ice plant in your home can help create the balance you are looking for to allow the effective flow of energy for a positive environment, better well-being, and positive feelings.
Growing an ice plant indoors can be a great way to get all these great benefits.
If you don’t want the responsibility of keeping a plant alive but want all the positive effects of an ice plant for your feng shui, you can use an artificial ice plant. You will still get the color-balancing power of an ice plant, but it needs no maintenance other than occasional dusting.
Ice Plants Are Easy to Grow and Maintain Any Time of the Year
An ice plant needs to be in an area that is sunny but sheltered, and desert gardens are a perfect place to grow them. Ice plants prefer a sunny area, preferably full sun; however, they will tolerate partial shade.
Ice plants grow well in containers, but you may have to prune them because they are fast-growing and will soon grow over and out of the container.
How Do Ice Plants Grow?
There are a variety of ways to grow ice plants. They can be propagated by division, cuttings, or from seeds.
When propagating them by division, the best time to divide ice plants is during the spring. If you are taking a cutting, it can be done at any time except for winter.
If you decide to grow them with seeds, the seeds are scattered on top of the soil and remain uncovered. Make sure the seeds get plenty of light, so they will germinate.
What Kind of Soil Do Ice Plants Need?
Ice plants need soil that is sandy or gravelly and well-drained. If your soil isn’t sandy, adding some sand or gravel to it can help it to drain better to keep the plant healthy.
Ice plants are perfect for that sunny spot where nothing will grow because the soil is poor. Just make sure the soil drains well as consistently wet soil will kill an ice plant.
Ice plants actually prefer consistently dry soil, but keep on eye on the plant because if it thrives too much it can become invasive.
How Much Water Does an Ice Plant Need?
Once an ice plant has become established, it doesn’t require a lot of watering. If there is no rainfall at all, it should be watered about every two weeks, but if the weather is very hot, it may need to be watered every week.
Before the winter comes, let the ice plant dry out. This will keep the soil from staying too wet over the winter.
If you get a lot of snow, use a dry mulch around the plant, such as straw, to prevent too much moisture from getting to the plant.
Ice Plants Are Relatively Inexpensive
If you’re buying ice plant seeds, the price is quite low even for anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 seeds.
Using just a small portion of those seeds will make for excellent ground cover. And because the seeds don’t need to be covered, planting them couldn’t be easier.
Ice Plant Decorating Ideas Are Nearly Endless
Decorating with ice plants indoors or outdoors can be done in many ways.
Indoors they can be grown in wide containers while outdoors they can be added to rock gardens to give them color or you can use them to dress up and bring new life to gravel patches.
They can be used in flower beds and will grow well on slopes, and they are especially useful for ground cover and for use in modern landscaping compositions. If you’re planting a xeriscape, a landscaped area that doesn’t need irrigation, these plants are perfect.
Artificial Ice Plants Often Look Just Like the Real Thing
If you aren’t very good at keeping plants alive, or you can’t take care of live plants because you travel a lot, you can find artificial ice plants that look just like the real thing. Many of today’s artificial plants are made to very closely resemble the live plants, so no one has to know that it isn’t real.
Artificial plants are a great alternative to live plants for many people, and they always look great no matter what time of year or what their environment is like.
Ice plants are beautiful plants that can be grown outdoors or indoors, and they are also available as artificial plants. They are easy to care for, though they can grow quickly.
Whether you’re interested in feng shui, cleaner air, a plant for a dry area, or simply some radiant color, ice plants are a great choice. If you have any favorite tips and ideas for using an ice plant in your home décor, please let us know in the comments.
