Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Red Spike Ice Plant
Red Spike Ice Plant is a small, clumping succulent with upright, spike-like grey-green leaves that blush red in cool weather. In late winter and early spring it opens hot pink to carmine red flowers about 2 inches across. It stays only a few inches tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, so it suits rock gardens, borders and succulent planters.
Best for: rock gardens and borders, mixed succulent planters, and small banks that need a clumping cover.
Buds appear in late winter and open around midday into hot pink to carmine red flowers about 2 inches across. The show runs into early spring.
Its upright, grey-green leaves add texture to rock gardens, borders and mixed succulent planters. The leaves blush red in cool weather.
It grows in tight clumps and spreads only a couple of feet, but its fibrous roots help hold soil on banks and slopes.
In Phoenix summers it needs afternoon shade. It does not like to be stepped on, and it needs good drainage.
- Clump planting6-12 in apart
- Ground cover bed1 ft apart
Young ground cover plants have shallow roots and can need water every 2 or 3 days for the first 2 to 4 weeks. After that, stretch the time between waterings as the plants root in.
Once rooted, water every 5 to 10 days in hot, dry weather and every 3 to 6 weeks in winter if rain is short. Let the soil drain well between waterings.
In Phoenix summers it needs afternoon shade. Morning sun with filtered shade in the afternoon keeps it looking its best.
Ratings run from about 18°F to 26°F. On the coldest nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground, and take it off in the morning.
Ground cover beds in the low desert often thin out within 2 to 4 years. Replant bare spots in fall or early spring, and keep people from walking on the bed.
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.
When does red spike ice plant bloom?
Buds form in late winter and open into hot pink to red flowers from late winter into early spring. Each flower is about 2 inches across.
How big does it get?
It stays about 3 to 5 inches tall and spreads 1 to 2 feet in tight clumps.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It needs afternoon shade in summer. Morning sun with filtered afternoon shade keeps it looking best.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant it about 6 to 12 inches apart for a filled-in look.
How cold can it take?
Ratings run from about 18°F to 26°F. Cover it with frost cloth on the coldest nights.
How often should I water it?
It needs low to moderate water. Let the soil dry between waterings, and water new plants more often for the first few weeks.
Can I walk on it?
No. Plant it where it will not be stepped on.
Why are the leaves turning red?
The grey-green leaves take on reddish tones in cool weather, which is normal and does no harm.
Red Spike Ice Plant for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Red Spike Ice Plant is a small clumping succulent with spiky leaves and bold red flowers in late winter and early spring. It suits rock gardens and planters. This page covers bloom, shade, spacing, water and frost in the Valley.
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Red spike ice plant in Phoenix
This small ice plant needs afternoon shade in Phoenix summers, and it opens big red flowers in late winter.
Winter-blooming ice plant
Buds appear in late winter and open into hot pink to carmine red flowers about 2 inches across.
How far apart to plant red spike ice plant
Space it about 6 to 12 inches apart. It grows in tight clumps 1 to 2 feet wide.
Red spike ice plant in planters
Its upright spiky leaves add texture to mixed succulent planters, rock gardens and borders.
Watering red spike ice plant
Give it low to moderate water and let the soil dry between waterings. Good drainage is a must.
Red spike ice plant on banks
Its fibrous roots help hold soil on small banks and slopes.
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.