Monday, June 14, 2010

The Moss Rose Gets No Respect

What would you say if I told you I have a nice annual flower that almost never needs to be watered, thrives in poor soil, readily reseeds in places where other stuff won't grow, and comes in every conceivable color?  You'd jump at the opporunity to get such a plant.  Oddly enough, we have it in the form of the portulaca, or moss rose.  You don't see people singing the praises of this lowly little annual enough.  It's easy to grow from seed, thrives in pots where it gets little care, blends nicely with other plants, and doesn't need any particular soil type.  This first one I'm showing is growing in the cracks of my concrete driveway and reseeds itself every year.




Next up is a pink portulaca - they come in all colors, as you will see in the following pictures.



This is a light yellow one that would be a great companion color to many types of flowers.



Next, my favorite color of the ones I have - bright orange.  Isn't this striking?  All my portulacas are of the Sundial variety, but I haven't met a variety that doesn't do well. 



Last, a deep yellow cultivar.  For those of you who want cheap and easy, moss rose is the flower for you.  Just moisten some dirt and throw the seeds on top.  You don't even need to cover them.  Water only sporadically, if at all.  These things thrive quite well on whatever rain happens to come. 


1 comment:

Becca's Dirt said...

I love portulaca and I don't have enough of it. Mine is blooming all colors on the same little plant. Have a good day. Becca