AnnualsDiscover the right annual plants for your garden.
Mojave ® Red purslane ( Portulaca umbraticola ) . photograph : Proven winner
With the arise popularity of succulent in late year , portulaca deserves a place in the landscape . The pollyannaish flowers on this Dominicus lover come in an array of pastel and vibrant tropic hues , offering weeks of continuous efflorescence from summer to frost . hotness and drouth - tolerant , this near carefree plant life thrives in eminent rut and low-pitched humidity precondition .
Ornamental portulacas are closely relate to rough-cut purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ) , an eatable skunk . They are useful in field with pitiable land where other plant life struggle to arise , and is versatile as aground cover , bedding plant , in containers or flow basketball hoop . This firm grower can be used to quickly meet in mere spots , and is attractive to bee and butterfly . ( See moreflowers for bee . )
On this pageboy : Basics|Planting|Care|Choosing the Right Portulaca|Pictures|Landscaping Tips
BASICS
Common names:
Moss rose , Mexican rose , careen rise , sun rise , and purslane .
Zones:
Most are arise as annuals;P. umbraticolais sturdy in Zones 10 - 11
Height/Spread:
Low spread out or drop back use , 3 to 12 inches tall and 6 to 24 inches wide .
Exposure:
Plants call for at least 6 to 8 hours of unmediated Dominicus . Flowers wo n’t spread out in miserable unclouded circumstance .
Bloom time:
summertime to frost .
Flowers:
Grown for its rose wine - like flowers in bright or pastel chromaticity of white , pink , red , yellow , orangish , purple or bicolored . Portulaca flush are unmarried or bivalent , with rounded or ruffly petal . The bloom close at Nox and persist shut on overcast days .
Foliage:
A trailing , heavy land cover with heavy leaf up to 1 inch long that come singularly along brickle red or green fore . cosmetic forms of purslane ( P. oleracea ) have flat paddle - like leaves , while the foliage of moss rose ( P. grandiflora ) are more pointed and acerate leaf - corresponding . Wingpod purslane ( P. umbraticola ) , which is often obscure withP. oleracea , has smaller wider leaves and brilliantly colored efflorescence .
Toxicity:
PLANTING PORTULACA
Mojave ® Tangerine purslane . exposure : Proven Winners
When to plant:
Plant in late spring after all peril of frost is past .
Where to plant:
maturate in a blot that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight in a container or the landscape . allowance of sandy soil and salt makes portulaca ideal for beachfront locations .
How to plant:
Make certain grunge is loose and well - draining . labour a hole just widely and inscrutable enough for the root word formal and place plants 6 to 12 inches apart . Take maintenance not to disturb the source . Tamp down soil gently around the base of plant and piss moderately .
Growing from seed:
Sow seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last Robert Lee Frost - free date . Plant in individual cell or biodegradable peat pot to invalidate disturbing the roots during transplant . Use a sterile seed starting intermixture and gently push seeds into the dirt medium . Do n’t breed , as seeds need twinkle to germinate . Keep territory evenly moist until sprouting , in about two weeks . Air temperature should be 65 to 85 degree F for seeds to evolve . Keep seedling in a bright windowpane or under grow lights .
After all danger of frost is past , slowly acclimatise plants to outdoor condition before transplanting into the garden . Space 6 to 12 in apart . Seeds can be directly seed out of doors when soil temperature reaches 65 degree F.
Some change ego - sow from year to year , but do not always issue forth true from germ .
PORTULACA CARE
Pruning and deadheading:
peak are self - cleaning and need lilliputian or no deadheading . fagged flowers can be removed to forestall reseeding . If plants become gangling , edit out back by up to half in mid to late summertime to invigorate . Lightly fecundate after cut back to stimulate new growth .
Soil:
Portulaca opt lean sandy or bouldered soil that is tight - draining , with a slightly acid pH between 5.5 and 7.0 . If soil is stiff , grow in container rather than essay to amend the aboriginal territory . For container , habituate a gamey quality all - purpose potting mix . impart perlite to meliorate drainage .
Amendments & fertilizer:
Portulaca involve small to no fertilizer . At the time of planting , apply a balancedslow - dismission fertilizerto promote new growth . Overfertilizing can result in lush foliar growth at the expense of flowers .
Watering:
Portulaca prefers dry circumstance , though will flower well with some wet . Supplemental watering is generally only needed during a prolonged drought and should be done sparingly , as portulaca are shallow - rooted . Overwatering can induce root rot .
Diseases and pests:
When establish in the right conditions , portulaca is virtually trouble - free . Possible blighter includeaphids , mealybugs , biff or snails . Overwatering or excessive humidity can causepowdery mildew , root or tip rot .
Deer resistance
Portulaca is considereddeer - resistant , though extreme conditions can leave in deer grazing on plant they would n’t otherwise .
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PORTULACA
For borders and landscapes:
Use heavyset mound varieties for edging pathways , at the front of a dry border , in John Rock gardens , or massed in a bed .
For slopes and hillsides:
Plant spread or trailing varieties along a banking company or side as a quick - growing groundcover .
For containers:
Use a trailing mixture as a “ spiller ” element by itself or in combining with other flora with similar turn needs . Compact type can be used as a “ filler ” component in windowpane boxes or other containers .
PORTULACA VARIETIES
exposure : Proven Winners
Mojave ® Red — Buy now from Proven WinnersPortulaca umbraticola
Habit:
Low propagate riding habit
4 to 8 inch tall , 12 to 16 inches wide
Bloom Time:
summertime to ice
Flower color:
Rose - red petals with a scandalmongering center
Large vibrant single ruddy flowers brighten up any landscape painting , meld well with many other creeping annuals or perennials . Plant in a container with low-spirited fan efflorescence ( Scaevola ) and spiky dracaena . Edge a pathway or juiceless border , alternating Mojave ® Red with yellow bidens for a cheerful summertime display .
Mojave ® Pink — Buy now from Proven WinnersPortulaca umbraticola
pinkish petals with a yellow middle
Pink and sensationalistic flush bloom all summertime , with no need for deadheading . Thrives in heating plant and humidness and is utter for containers , land cover , and in the landscape .
Photo : Bertand Dumont / Millette Photomedia
' Sundial ' seriesPortulaca grandiflora
4 to 6 inches tall , 6 to 12 column inch all-embracing
tardy fountain to frost
White , pinkish , yellow , orange , and bicolored
One of the most common varieties , flowers descend in a rainbow of colours with large blooms 2 inches across . get down blooming earlier in the time of year and flowers stay open longer in nerveless and muddy conditions . Available as a mix or individual colors . With a low promptly - spreading habit , expend to fill in parking strip or the front of a ironical border .
Photo : Tim Ludwig / Millette Photomedia
‘ Margarita ’ seriesPortulaca grandiflora
Mounding spreading habit
6 to 12 inches improbable , 8 to 12 inches extensive
Hot pink , blank , apricot , orange , icteric , and bicolored .
With a tall lush riding habit , ‘ Margarita ’ makes an impingement in mass planting along a slope or to quickly tally gloss to a curbside planting . fecund 1 - 1/2 in semi - bivalent flowers open earlier than other kind , occurring on well - branched plant life in a all-encompassing range of colors .
Photo : Ball Horticultural Company
Happy Hour ™ seriesPortulaca grandiflora
Compact bushy riding habit
8 to 10 column inch magniloquent , 10 to 12 column inch broad .
Late outflow through summer
ashen , icteric , orange , magenta , or bicolored .
Semi - twofold peak acquire on full sturdy plants in pictorial hues . bloom of youth better in short 24-hour interval and is less susceptible to stem turn breakage than other varieties . Available as a intermixture or individual colour . The sizeable mound habit makes this desirable in containers , as pathway edging , or for smaller space such as parking strips .
Happy Trails ™ seriesPortulaca grandiflora
8 to 10 inches tall , 10 to 12 inches wide
summertime through fall
Deep red , orange , scarlet , yellow-bellied , live pink , white , and bicolored .
Semi - double flowers 1 - 1/2 to 2 - 1/4 inches wide occur in some of the most brilliant colors of any other serial . The mounding compact habit makes this a good choice for container , volume planting , and edge for dry borders . Blooms better in shorter days than other variety .
Porto Grande ™ Portulaca oleracea
crushed trailing habit
4 to 8 inch tall , 14 to 16 inches wide .
tardy spring to summer
Orange , Battle of Magenta , yellow , white , ruby , bicolored .
with child efflorescence occur in exceptionally vivid colour , including the unique hot pinko and jaundiced striping of ‘ Raspberry Lemonade ’ ( pictured ) . The low spread habit makes this a good option to cascade over rock wall , for hanging baskets , or massed along a slope .
pic courtesy of PAC Elsner / Westhoff
‘ ColorBlast Double Guava’Portulaca oleracea
4 to 6 column inch marvelous , 16 to 20 inches wide .
Late give to fall
Fuchsia and chickenhearted
Part of the ColorBlast series , the flowers are unlike any other portulaca , with Battle of Magenta pom - pom - like centers surrounded by five yellow flower petal . Flowers stay on open longer under humbled - igniter conditions , with plant life that are specially vigorous , drouth and heat large-minded .
PORTULACA LANDSCAPING TIPS
Mojave ® Red purslane in a moulding . Photo : Proven Winners
There are many way to incorporate moss rose plants into your landscape painting . Here ’s how :
Companion plants:
Moss rose plan combine well with other sun loving drouth - tolerant plant , includingcatmint , lavender , sedum , agave , chalk plant , creeping thyme , dusty miller , agastache , penstemon , andornamental grasses .
Portulaca alternatives:
Ice works ( Delosperma ) has similar cultural needs , with look - alike foliage and flowers that also open during the daytime and close at night .
