The Beauty of Portulaca Grandiflora

Portulaca Grandiflora, (Moss-rose Purslane or Moss-rose) is a small, fast growing and succulent flowering plant native to South America. It is also found here in the tropics in South East Asia.

Scientific name: Portulaca Grandiflora
Common name: Moss Rose, Purslane, 11 O'clock Flower,
Family: Portulacaceae
Origin: South America.

Cultivars come in a variety of colours such as red, pink, peach, yellow, white and orange, some having double flowers or extra petals. Fanciful names given include Radiance, Sundance, Sundial, Swanlake, Wildfire, Jumbo, Duet, etc. Portulaca Grandiflora is actually very easy to grow, doesn't really need much care and flowers easily, therefore I would recommend it to beginners to try out. Seing beautiful flowers from your own effort is definitely a very good motivating factor!

This Portulaca Giant Bicolour flower has a mixture of pastel pink and white. I like it most. It looks as though it is hand painted using water colours. Flowers will look great on hanging baskets.

Portulaca Giant Rio White Portulaca Giant Rio Rose

You can mix a few plants together to create a colourful combo effect.

Here it is sharing the same container with my pomelo plant, a 3-in-1 effect.

Tequila Pink

Tequila Yellow

Tequila Red- this is especially beautiful because it is red on the outside and yellow in the middle.

Portulaca Grandiflora Sundial in shocking pink.

Portulaca Grandiflora Radiance Red .

Here, it is sharing the same flower pot with my promegranate plant.






How to grow?

You can grow from seeds or from seedlings purchased from nurseries. When portulaca hunting at nurseries, it is better to go in the morning. This is because the pretty flowers will open for a limited time only, i.e. in the morning just as the sun rises and slowly wither later in the day. During rainy or cloudy days where there is not enough sunlight, they will hardly open. If you leave for work before sunrise and come back in the late evenings, mabye you would not be able to see how the flowers look like. Or if you are a person who likes to sleep late and wake up late, then maybe you won't be able to enjoy the beauty of this flower.

Upkeep

The plant prefer well-drained, sandy soil and the full sun. It can stand dry and hot conditions, therefore water sparingly. Just that, if the plant receives enough watering, there will be more flowers. The flowers last less than a day but will be replaced by other new ones. It is a good idea to remove dead flowers to encourage more blooms and for a neater look.

Planting

Portulaca can be used as a bedding plant, ground cover, in flower pots, containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. If planted in crevices, its beautiful little flowers will enhance rock gardens. It can also be planted together in 'combo' with other plants sharing the same container. In small containers, it can be used to decorate window ledges. Some people use it to replace grass on road shoulders. However, this plant cannot be stepped on.

Pest control

Aphids and root-rot nematodes are common problems. For aphids, use a stream of water or soapy spray to wash off these pests. If the problem is root-rot, there is not much to do except to give the infected plant a good send-off and plant a new one instead.

Propagation is very easy

I prefer the stem cuttings method. Just pluck off a portion of the stem and push it into the soil. Soon roots will form and shoots start to apear. So, just 'pluck and plant' and 'pluck and plant' and 'pluck and plant'..... Always remember! Never over-water the plant. Otherwise the roots will start to rot and the plants dies. THE END.