If you love vygies and waterwise gardening, Delosperma is one of those genera that quickly becomes addictive. These are mostly low, mat-forming succulents in the Aizoaceae, famous for their shimmering “ice” cells on the leaves and stems that catch the light like tiny crystals – a clever way of reflecting harsh African sun while storing precious moisture.

The genus is centred in southern Africa, with the bulk of species in South Africa and Lesotho, but stretching north into eastern Africa as far as Ethiopia and even into the Arabian Peninsula. Many are local endemics tied to specific rock types or mountain systems – from arid Karoo flats and grassland dolerite outcrops to subalpine Drakensberg cliffs. Seed capsules are typically hygrochastic: they open when wet, using little “valves” and wings to present or flick out the seed in rain – exactly the kind of detail that makes them fascinating subjects for a seed-focused collector.

In the garden, Delosperma species are valued for their carpets of daisy-like flowers in intense shades of magenta, pink, purple, yellow and orange, often over a very long season. Given full sun and sharply drained, sandy or gravelly soils, many species are remarkably drought tolerant and need little more than occasional watering once established. They are ideal for rockeries, retaining walls, containers, green roofs and banks where a tough, colourful, pollinator-friendly groundcover is needed.

For a succulent enthusiast in South Africa, Delosperma offers a huge palette of local biodiversity – from tiny, niche endemics to showy garden workhorses – all fitting neatly into the broader push toward waterwise, climate-resilient gardening.

Delosperma aberdeenense – Aberdeen Ice Plant, Aberdeen Sheepfig

Delosperma aberdeenense (often called Aberdeen ice plant or Aberdeen dew plant; sometimes placed in Lampranthus in older literature) is a compact, mat-forming vygie from the Karoo around Aberdeen and neighbouring parts of the Eastern and Northern Cape.

It forms tight cushions of short, prostrate stems clothed in small, cylindrical to slightly flattened grey-green leaves that hug the ground and cope easily with heat, wind and low rainfall.

In late spring and summer, the plants explode into colour with masses of daisy-like blooms, each with a golden eye and radiating rings of bright pink to magenta petals, flowering for many weeks in good sun. The shimmering “ice” cells on the foliage catch the light, making even non-flowering clumps attractive in a rockery or gravel garden. Flowering in South African conditions is typically strongest from spring into early autumn, with flushes after good rain or irrigation.

For South African gardeners this is a superb, truly local groundcover for Karoo-style rockeries, Eastern Cape gravel gardens and containers. Give it full sun, a very well-drained, gritty soil and minimal summer watering and it will reward you with a dense, weed-suppressing mat and sheets of colour that attract bees and other pollinators. Its naturally low, spreading habit makes it excellent for tumbling over low walls or softening the edges of paving and pathways.