Mesembryanthemum spp. Mauve

Common Name:
Mauve Pigface

Description:
Mauve Pigface (Mesembryanthemum spp.) is a hardy, sun-loving ground cover known for its vibrant mauve-purple blooms and dense, trailing succulent foliage. This drought-tolerant performer creates a brilliant floral display from spring through to autumn, with daisy-like flowers that open in full sun and attract bees and other beneficial pollinators. The fleshy, water-retaining leaves form a thick mat, making it ideal for suppressing weeds, retaining soil, and providing erosion control on slopes or embankments. Perfectly suited to Melbourne’s climate, Mauve Pigface thrives in poor, sandy, or rocky soils and coastal conditions, tolerating salt spray, wind, and dry spells once established. It's ideal for rockeries, retaining walls, verge planting, or as a living mulch in low-water-use gardens. With its long flowering season, vivid colour, and no-fuss nature, this plant is an excellent addition to any sunny landscape.

Form:
Ground Cover
Shrub - Clumping / Grass-like / Mounding

Mature Size:
Height: 0.1–0.2 m
Width: 1–1.5 m (spreading)

Aspect:
Full Sun

Flowering:
Flowers in Spring
Flowers in Summer
Flowers in Autumn

Flower Colour:
Mauve
Purple

Key Attributes:
Drought Tolerant
Bee Attracting
Foliage Interest
Groundcovering
Suitable for Coastal Gardens
Suitable for Pots
Low Maintenance
Fire-wise Landscaping
Suitable for Rockeries
Erosion Control

Toxicity:
Non-toxic to humans and pets.

Companion Plants:
Gazania tomentosa
Sedum ‘Dragon’s Blood’
Carpobrotus glaucescens
Thymus serpyllum
Erigeron karvinskianus
Scaevola aemula