Oscularia deltoides, the Pink Ice Plant or Dassievygie, is one of the most charming trailing succulents you can grow outdoors in a warm British garden. Chalky blue-grey, three-angled leaves edged with tiny red teeth are held on vivid red stems, and in summer the whole plant disappears under a haze of scented, daisy-like pink flowers that honeybees adore. It is a spreading, mat-forming succulent that cascades beautifully over the lip of a pot, a warm wall or a raised rockery.
Being a succulent from the sandstone slopes of South Africa’s south-western Cape, it is tender here, rated RHS H2. Keep this trailing succulent frost-free over winter and on the dry side while it rests. Grow it in gritty, sharply drained compost, keep it much drier over winter, and it will cope with far more than its hardiness rating suggests. In colder or wetter gardens, grow it in a pot you can move under cover. See our what to expect from hardy exotics guide for seasonal care.
How and where to grow
- Position: full sun, in the warmest, brightest, most sheltered spot you have. Perfect for pots and containers that can be moved under cover in winter.
- Soil: sharp, free-draining and gritty. Add plenty of horticultural grit or perlite so water never lingers around the roots.
- Size: low and mat-forming, only around 10 to 30 cm high but trailing and spreading to cascade over an edge.
- Hardiness: tender (RHS H2). Keep it dry in winter and protect from hard frost.
Once settled it is genuinely drought-tolerant, making it a natural choice for dry and gravel gardens and sunny, free-draining borders. It also copes well with salt-laden air, so it earns a place in coastal and exposed plantings where drainage is good. The scented summer flowers are a magnet for bees, adding it to the ranks of our best plants for pollinators.
Explore the rest of our hardy exotics range to build a bold, sun-loving planting scheme. Every Oscularia deltoides we supply is nursery-grown, carefully selected for strong, healthy growth, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.
