Inspiration from The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

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My most recent visit to The Boyce Thompson Arboretum really inspired me to get some ice plant. That's the ground cover with the yellow flowers that are just behind me in the photo.

There are lots of different types of ice plant, with different sizes of the leaves and different flower colors. From a design standpoint, I decided to go mostly with the yellow flowers with the medium green leaf. But I also got some other textures and colors, just to keep it interesting.

Keep in mind that while ice plant is pretty tough, it's not a plant like a cactus that you can put out in full sun and forget about. In addition to a slightly higher elevation than here, The Boyce Thompson has a lot of dappled shade because of the trees. It's an arboretum, after all!

Ice plant is sold in flats, and if you have a large area to cover, it's probably the most economical way to go. I bought a whole bunch in small containers at Baker's Nursery, which is just north of Thomas Road on 40th Street. That's part of the reason that I like Baker's - they have a lot of plants in the quart (or is it half pint?) size - big enough to have nice root structure, but not so big as to be a huge operation to plant. I am a big believer in buying plants small, planting them with care, and nurturing them.

Ice plant likes to *run lean* so don't overwater - and there is no need to add plant food when you plant them. It's visually pleasing to give it things to wrap around, like rocks, and other plants. I can't recommend using cactus, like they do at The Boyce Thompson, but some aloe, haworthia, or agave will do.

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