Ice Plant is a perennial grown for its purple blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10, shrugs off deer, shrugs off dry spells, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Ice Plant — the short answer
Ice Plant: grown in zones 6–10, full sun, pH 5.5–7.
- USDA zones
- 6–10
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Ice Plant on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether ice plant actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score ice plant against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
What Ice Plant is
Ice Plant grows as a perennial and reaches around 6 inches at maturity. It blooms purple in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Ice Plant
Ice Plant grows in USDA zones 6 through 10. Ice Plant does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7, on fast-draining ground.
USDA Zones
6-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
excessive (dry/moderately dry)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant ice plant in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Ice Plant prefers pH 5.5 to 7 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut ice plant blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Ice Plant thrives
Ice Plant is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–10 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 16 outright and splits 32 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–10·Where Ice Plant growsOpen map →
Where Ice Plant stands, state by state
Ice Plant is rated for zones 6–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 16 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 32 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–10
16 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 16 shown
The line runs through
32 states
3 of 32 shown
Ice Plant’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–10
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Ice Plant
Growing guides for ice plant
In rotation planning, ice plant counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — ice plant isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Ice Plant offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Ice Plant's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Ice Plant will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether ice plant actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Ice Plant
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Ice Plant in my zone?
Ice Plant grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Ice Plant?
Most growers plant ice plant after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Ice Plant need?
Ice Plant needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Ice Plant need?
Ice Plant prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7, on fast-draining ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Ice Plant attract pollinators?
Yes — ice plant's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Ice Plant safe for pets?
Ice Plant is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)