Portulaca

PORTULACA (Portulaca grandiflora)

Annual — Sun

HEIGHT: 6 inches

SPREAD: 12- 18 inches

HABIT: Low-growing annual with succulent stems and rose like flowers in summer. Flowers are open in the morning and close during the heat of the day. New flowers every day.

CULTURE: Easy to grow in any well-drained soil. Low water and food requirements.

USES: Colorful groundcover, summer flowers, pots, hanging baskets.

PROBLEMS: Flowers close in late afternoon. Snails, slugs, and cutworms.

NOTES: Purslane, a close kin, is probably better, since the flowers stay open longer during the day. Native to South America. Common names are purslane for the wider-leafed plant.

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