Lampranthus varieties.

Lampranthus varieties.
Left - L. 'Tresco Orange'. These plants have many different varietal names - this one relates to the origin of the cutting from Tresco Abbey Garden on the Isles Of Scilly. All of the different colours have the same habit and leaf type, forming 10cm high compact carrpets of numerous small grey succulent leaves. They flower over a period of about a month with the individual flowers only lasting a few days. The plants will survive brief spells of -5 c, however they become a little more leggy and sparse each season so it is best to replace plants regularly. They are extremely easy to grow from tip cuttings. For best flowering displays plant Lampranthus in full sun in well drained soil.
Right - Lampranthus 'Tresco Red' even dazzling the camera a little in this young planting in the 'desert' garden in the Carribean Home From Home

Left - Lampranthus 'Tresco Purple'
Right - a mixture of L. 'Tresco Red' and 'Purple' and purple Osteospermum make dazzling carpets of flower and set off the spikey grey phormiums and purple Pittosporum shrub.

Left - Lampranthus love to hang over the edges of rocks where there is free drainage and heat from the sun. They make great ground cover around spikey plants because their low compact form does not compete with their architectural shapes and the intense colour contrasts with their often grey foliage.
Right - Lampranthus brownii a species rather than a named variety with burnt orange coloured flowers.