Fire Spinner Ice Plant
Fire Spinner Ice Plant
Dazzling Tricolor Blooms on a Drought-Tough Succulent Carpet
Fire Spinner Ice Plant (Delosperma 'Fire Spinner') electrifies sunny, dry spots with pinwheel flowers in vivid orange, magenta, and purple over a low mat of fleshy, evergreen succulent foliage. One of the hardiest ice plants available, it thrives on heat, drought, and lean soil. With the sharp drainage it demands, it makes a brilliant groundcover for rock gardens, slopes, and hot, sandy beds in Edina, Woodbury, and Maple Grove.
Fire Spinner Ice Plant Plant Details
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Delosperma 'Fire Spinner' |
| Mature Size | 2–4 in. tall, 12–18 in. wide |
| Hardiness Zone | 5–9 (Twin Cities is zone 4b–5a — one of the hardiest ice plants; needs a protected, sharply drained site) |
| Light | Full sun (6+ hours) |
| Bloom Time | Late spring through summer |
| Flower Color | Tricolor orange, magenta, and purple |
| Soil | Sharp-draining, sandy or gravelly; will rot in wet clay |
| Winter Hardiness | The hardiest ice plant, but winter-wet is fatal — drainage is everything |
| Deer Resistance | Rarely browsed by deer or rabbits |
Landscape Uses in Minnesota
Rock gardens and hot, dry slopes: Its succulent mat thrives where most plants fry — gravelly slopes, retaining-wall tops, and sandy beds. Space 12–15 inches apart.
Sunny, well-drained edges: A brilliant low groundcover for the front of a hot border. Pair with sedum, hens-and-chicks, and creeping thyme.
Best Time to Plant in Minnesota
Plant in late spring (May) so it establishes through the warm season — ice plants establish poorly in cold soil. Choose the sunniest, best-drained spot you have.
How to Plant Fire Spinner Ice Plant
Drainage is everything. Plant on a slope, raised bed, or rock garden, and amend heavy clay heavily with coarse sand and grit. Set the crown slightly high, backfill, water in lightly, and mulch with gravel — never bark or compost against the crown. Space 12–15 inches apart.
Watering Fire Spinner Ice Plant
First year: Water sparingly — every 5–7 days while establishing, letting the soil dry between. Stop well before fall so the plant goes into winter dry.
After year one: Extremely drought-tolerant — little to no supplemental water. Overwatering is the most common cause of failure.
Q: Will it survive a Minnesota winter?
Fire Spinner is the most cold-hardy ice plant, but survival here depends entirely on sharp drainage — it tolerates cold far better than wet. In a gravelly, raised, sunny spot it can overwinter in the Twin Cities; in heavy or wet soil it will rot. Treat it as a rock-garden gamble worth taking.
Q: Why is drainage so important?
As a succulent, it stores water in its leaves and cannot tolerate soggy soil, especially in winter. Wet feet, not cold, is what kills ice plants here.
Q: Is it deer-resistant?
Yes — deer and rabbits rarely touch the fleshy foliage.
Q: Does it bloom all summer?
It flowers heavily in late spring and continues through summer, opening fully in bright sun.
You May Also Like
Sedum (Hylotelephium / Sedum): A hardy succulent groundcover for the same dry, sunny spots.
Hens-and-Chicks (Sempervivum): A bulletproof rock-garden succulent.
Creeping Thyme (Thymus): A fragrant, drought-tough groundcover for well-drained edges.