Portulaca Grandiflora – Sun lovers

                Portulaca  Grandiflora is one of my favorite  plant which doesn’t need any special care and brings the beauty to our garden with its different colors of flowers. It belongs to the family Portulacaceae. It is commonly known as portulaca, moss rose, rose moss and sun plant. Portuclaca flowers  tolerate many kinds of soils  but prefer sandy well drained soils and love the full bright sunlight. These plants will spread themselves very well. You do not need to water often for proper portulaca care. The cylindrical foliage of  portulaca flower retains moisture very well.

The flowers are borne on the stem tips. They open only during bright sunlight and closes at night and on cloudy days. There are many varieties with different colors of flowers such as orange, rose pink, red, yellow, white. The one which attracts me is white and  rose pink with its natural beauty. Moss rose makes a beautiful ground cover in a dry  or rocky area. In warm climates moss rose may self seed. Its reddish brown like stems and bright green leaves are thick , soft and juicy.

 Easily propagated by pinching off the stems of this plant into 2-4 inches length and stick them directly into moist sand or loamy soil and locate it in a sunny area. Portulaca can also be propagated from seeds that are as tiny as dust. Portulaca are originally from the hot, dry plains of Southern Brazil, Northern  Argentina, Uruguay.