Other Names:  Heartleaf Ice Plant, Midday Flower

Description:

This succulent groundcover produces magenta-red or golden yellow flowers over rich green foliage; an interesting plant to include in a rockery or a combination planter; excellent for dry, coastal sites; a version with variegated foliage is also available

Ornamental Features

Baby Sun Rose features dainty clusters of fuchsia daisy flowers with red overtones and gold eyes held atop the stems from mid to early winter. Its attractive small succulent heart-shaped leaves emerge chartreuse in spring, turning lime green in color the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Baby Sun Rose is a dense spreading evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Baby Sun Rose is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Baby Sun Rose will grow to be only 4 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 3 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Baby Sun Rose is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.