Creeping baby's breath vs Hardy ice plant

Creeping baby's breath and Hardy ice plant are often considered for the same spot in the garden (ground cover, flowers, container). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Creeping baby's breath

Gypsophila repens 15 cm × 45 cm after 10 years

A dwarf alpine cousin of the tall baby's breath: it makes a grey-green, narrow-leaved cushion 10 to 20 cm tall that is covered in a cloud of tiny…

Ground cover

Full sun

from about PLN 12

Hardy ice plant

Delosperma cooperi 10 cm × 60 cm after 10 years

A succulent mat barely a hand high that is covered from early summer to autumn in dazzling magenta-purple, daisy-like flowers. It belongs in blazing…

Ground cover

Full sun

from about PLN 13

Key differences

Creeping baby's breath grows taller, Hardy ice plant spreads wider: 15 cm × 45 cm and 10 cm × 60 cm after ten years (an estimate: sources differ).
Hardy ice plant grows faster than Creeping baby's breath.
Creeping baby's breath is hardier: down to -40 °C, against -18 °C for Hardy ice plant.

Which one to choose?

Creeping baby's breath is the better choice if the garden is cold or a frost pocket.

Hardy ice plant is the better choice if you want quick results.

Watch out for

Creeping baby's breath

In heavy soil that stays wet in winter the crown rots (stem rot), which is the usual reason it dies out. In shade it gets leggy and hardly flowers. It has few pests.

Hardy ice plant

Its winter hardiness is borderline in Central Europe. In a dry, sharply drained spot it survives hard frost, but in wet, heavy soil and in rainy winters with repeated thaws it rots off easily, and sources give very different limits (roughly from -9 to -25 °C). Do not plant it in clay or waterlogged soil; in cold winters it can lose its foliage, and even with a sheltered position, gravelly soil and a loose winter cover you should expect to replace plants after a hard, wet winter. Pests and diseases are rare, at most aphids and mealybugs.

The data side by side

Feature	Creeping baby's breath	Hardy ice plant
Group	Ground cover	Ground cover
Size after 10 years	15 cm × 45 cm (uncertain)	10 cm × 60 cm
Ultimate size	10–20 cm × 30–50 cm	8–15 cm × 30–60 cm
Growth rate	Medium	Fast
Light	Full sun	Full sun
Soil	Calcareous, Sandy, Average garden soil	Sandy, Average garden soil
Hardiness	down to -40 °C (USDA 3, RHS H7)	down to -18 °C (USDA 6, RHS H6)
Heat tolerance	Medium (uncertain)	High
Foliage	Semi-evergreen (uncertain)	Semi-evergreen
Flowering	May–August, pink, white (uncertain)	June–September, purple, pink
Water need	Low	Low
Drought tolerance	High	High
Maintenance	Low	Low
Planting distance	30 cm	30 cm
For dogs	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For cats	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
For children	Mildly toxic (uncertain)	no data
Typical price	approx. PLN 15	approx. PLN 15

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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