Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Burgundy Ice Dyckia
Burgundy Ice Dyckia is a spiny rosette of broad, deep burgundy leaves with white undersides and pale spines along the edges. It grows about a foot tall and 15 to 16 inches across. In early summer it sends up a stalk of orange tubular flowers, and it can bloom again in later years. Use it in patio pots, rock gardens or small beds for year-round dark color.
Best for: patio pots, rock gardens, small beds and mass plantings where a dark, spiny rosette stands out.
It stays about a foot tall and 15 to 16 inches across, so it fits a pot on a patio. Use a pot at least as wide as the plant.
Several plants in a rock garden or small bed make a solid block of dark burgundy. Plant them where water drains fast.
It keeps its deep burgundy leaves all year, and the color is best in good light. In the low desert, choose a spot protected from harsh afternoon sun.
Standing water rots the roots, and harsh afternoon sun is hard on it in the low desert. The spines are sharp, so keep it back from paths.
- Small varieties5 in apart
- Larger varieties16 in apart
Water regularly while it grows in spring and summer, and keep it drier in winter. If it goes too dry, it stops growing and the leaves wilt, so water again.
Leaf color is best in sun. In the low desert, plant it where it is protected from harsh afternoon sun.
It is rated hardy to about 20°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth when a hard frost is forecast during their first winter.
The leaf edges have sharp spines, so wear gloves and long sleeves. It needs no pruning beyond pulling out dead leaves.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What is Burgundy Ice Dyckia?
It is a Dyckia, a bromeliad in the pineapple family, not an agave or aloe. Plant it like a small succulent, in fast-draining soil.
How big does Burgundy Ice get?
It grows about a foot tall and 15 to 16 inches across, so leave that much room when you plant it.
What color is it?
Deep burgundy to near black, with white undersides and pale spines. Give it good light to keep the color deep.
Are the spines sharp?
Yes. Wear gloves and long sleeves when you plant or clean it, and keep it back from walkways.
Does it need full sun?
Its color is best in sun. In the low desert, plant it where it is protected from harsh afternoon sun.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly while it grows in spring and summer, and keep it drier in winter. If it stops growing and wilts, it is too dry.
Does it bloom?
Yes. Orange tubular flowers open on tall stalks in early summer, and it can bloom again in later years.
Will it spread?
Over time it forms pups and can grow into a clump, so leave the pups in place for a fuller look.
How cold hardy is it?
Dyckias are generally rated to about 20°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth when a hard frost is forecast.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. Use a pot at least as wide as the plant and a fast-draining mix, since the roots are extensive.
Burgundy Ice Dyckia for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Burgundy Ice is a Dyckia, a spiny bromeliad often mistaken for a small agave. It forms a deep burgundy rosette with white-backed leaves and orange flowers on tall stalks. This page covers its size, color, sun and water needs in the Valley, frost care and pot planting.
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What is Burgundy Ice Dyckia?
Burgundy Ice is a Dyckia, a spiny bromeliad that looks like a small agave. Its broad leaves are deep burgundy with white undersides and pale spines.
How big does Burgundy Ice Dyckia get?
It grows about a foot tall and 15 to 16 inches across. Orange flower stalks rise above it in early summer.
Growing Dyckia in Phoenix sun
Color is best in sun, but in the low desert it does better with protection from harsh afternoon sun.
Watering Dyckia in the Valley
Water regularly in spring and summer while it grows, and keep it drier in winter. It needs soil that drains fast.
Is Dyckia frost hardy?
Dyckias are generally rated to about 20°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth on hard frost nights in their first winter.
Dyckia in containers
It grows well in pots. Use a pot at least as wide as the plant and a fast-draining mix.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.