plant friday: moss rose, part deux

- on the front walk - i believe this to be a scarlet variety -

Portulaca oleracea = purslane.

Did you just read that out loud, slowly trying to figure out the pronunciations? Well, I did.

This is a sequel to my original post about moss rose. I would like to tell you that I knew this other drought-
hardy, annual succulent I have planted at the old house was in the moss rose family, but alas, I did not. And so, I felt compelled to do a little research and provide for you, the nitty gritty on these two plants.

I feel a little silly because the two varieties I have look fairly similar. Moss rose is a common name for a variety of plant in the portulaca family (species). Portulaca grandiflora = moss rose. Portulaca oleracea = purslane. These are the two varieties here at the old house.

Their stems are different, but both have small, vibrant flowers that only open for the sun.

In fact, they both love the sun. You can plant portulaca in just about any soil. The moss rose I have on the front porch is planted in clay pots and takes a full day of sun; it is thriving. I stuck my purslane plant in a small section of landscaping that I had no idea what to do with. The four inch plant went crazy this summer! It has sprawled out onto the front walk, which I just love.

Now that I know what this family of plants is capable of, I can (and will) better use it in my landscaping
next season. Do you have portulaca in your landscaping? Please share your pictures!

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in the details:

this link is a seed website- i like it for pictures of different portulaca colors and varieties

i also think bhg.com is always a great source for so many things, including plants!