Plant Bio

Aptenia Cordifolia Care

Size & Growth

Aptenia cordifolia is a low-growing ground cover forming a dense mat very close to the soil surface.

Individual plants grow to be no more than 6″ inches high and 1′ or 2′ feet across.

The stems of the heartleaf Ice plant may be rounded or four-angled.

They grow very close to the ground, making contact with the soil and setting down roots as they creep along.

The green leaves may be heart shaped or oval.

When well-watered, they are quite fleshy.

When water is scarce, they flatten.

Because the water cells are located close to the surface of the sunrose plant, both the stems and the leaves have a shiny appearance.

Flowering & Fragrance

The colourful flowers come in shades of bright pink, red, yellow, and purple and are very attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
When grown in a hanging basket, they will also attract hummingbirds.
The small flowers appear individually, in clusters at the ends of stems and also in the forks of the plants’ branches.
Lengthy bloom time extends from late summer through early spring.
The flowers open during the sunniest part of the day and close in the evening.
Flowers transition into four-chambered, black/brown seeds.

Baby Rose Plant Light & Temperature

Aptenia cordifolia likes full sun but can survive in semi-shade.

If kept in the shade, the plant blooms less.

Heartleaf Ice plant is winter hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 10.

It can survive in slightly cooler settings, but the plant will die back to ground level in freezing temperatures.

Keep this attractive succulent indoors as a houseplant year-round.

It is especially attractive when kept in a hanging basket.

Watering & Feeding

The hardy Aptenia cordifolia plant can tolerate high rainfall and extreme drought, so it can do quite well even with irregular watering.

Even so, for best performance, water the plant regularly as you would any cactus or succulent.

Wait until the soil is almost completely dry and then water deeply.