John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on January 6th, 2008 in Plants database

Portulaca grandiflora (Moss Rose, Rose Moss, Sun Plant) -

Plant Profile, Culture and Propagation :

• Botanical Name: Portulaca grandiflora
• Common Name: Portulaca, Moss Rose, Rose Moss, Sun Plant.
• Family name: Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)
• Plant type: A flowering annual succulent, native to southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
• Light: Full sun for best growth and flowering.
• Moisture: Performs well with regular watering though can tolerate dry and hot conditions as well. Do allow soil to dry out between waterings.
• Soil: Grows best in well-drained sandy or gravelly soil.
• Propagation: Easily propagated by pinching off the Portulaca stems into 2-4 inches length, stick them directly into moist, sandy or loamy soil and locate them in a sunny area. Portulacas can also be propagated from seeds that are as tiny as dust, so mix the seeds with sand before sowing to make them easier to scatter, then rake in. And, Moss Rose readily self-seeds too in hot climates – what a bonus!
• Features: Portulaca grandiflora is a low growing plant with a height of about 4-8 inches (15-20 cm) and a sprawling spread of 12-14 inches (30.5-35.5 cm). This fast growing and sun-loving annual succulent is multi-branched with brownish-red succulent stems and bright green leaves that are cylindrical, fleshy and pointed at the tips. Its ephemeral flowers are about an inch to 3 inches (7.6 cm) across, borne singly on terminal stems and come in many bright colors of rose pink, red, yellow, orange, purple, white or multi-colored with stripes or spots. It can be in single form, double or multi-petalled like the rose. Flowers open every morning in the sunshine and closes in the afternoon, night or on cloudy days. The inch-wide flowers of the older cultivars close in mid afternoon to reopen in the morning, while the newer ones with larger flowers stay open longer in the afternoon to late evening, closing at night and on downcast days.
• Usage: Portulaca grandiflora is most ideal as ground cover for dry areas and rock gardens or sunny borders and beds, especially if planted with a mix of various cultivars to present a carpet of colors. It is fantastic as a hanging basket plant with its trailing branches and colorful blooms cascading over the basket or pot. Excellent too for container gardening or planter boxes, placed at balconies, window sills, patios and decks. Being very tolerant of hot and dry conditions, it is most suitable to be planted on slopes or between pavers and along driveways, sidewalks or roadsides.
• Care: Ross Moss are such tough and fuss-free annuals, almost thriving on neglect. Locate them where there is full sun and with sufficient watering, they’ll delight you with a continuous profusion of colorful blooms all year round or all summer long. Dead-heading is not required at all, though you may want to harvest seeds for next year’s planting or pinch off spent flowers to encourage flowering. Feed once in a while. Portulacas are relatively pest and disease free!
• For temperate zones: Hardiness – USDA Zone 5-11. More information here.

Rose Moss has always been one of our favourites. They’re so easy to grow, hardly needing much care and yet never fail to cheer us on hot days with their bright and brilliant colors. Frankly, we rarely fertilize our Portulacas, yet they always appear fresh and ever-blooming in our tropical climate. Normally, we do not like annuals, preferring perennials that are more lasting, but somehow these Sun Plants warm our hearts with their spectrum of beautiful and vibrant colors and seem to thrive beyond the annuals in our hot climate, especially the newer cultivars. However, we’ve given up on the older varieties with rose-like blooms of about an inch across as their flowers aren’t open for long. We now prefer to grow the newer ones with larger single flowers that remain open longer in the hot afternoon and aren’t such wild growers. Occasionally though, we do end up buying and planting some older varieties as they’re dirt cheap and also too pretty and attractive to resist!

Enjoy more photos of Portulaca cultivars grown elsewhere in our neighborhood:

Portulaca grandiflora ‘Sundial White’

Portulaca grandiflora ‘Sundial Peach’

Portulaca grandiflora ‘Sundial Fuchsia’

Portulaca grandiflora ‘Sunnyside Cherry Red’

Last edited:2008-12-03

Tags: annuals, groundcovers, hanging plants, orange, outdoor plants, pink, red, succulents, white