Portulaca Sometimes referred to as Purslane, Sun Plant or Pig Face, Portulaca cannot not be overlooked for Summer colour! These brightly coloured wonders are actually a succulent, the flowers may be deceiving but the leaves are thick and fleshy. Portulaca are extremely hardy, some might even say they thrive on neglect, requiring very little water and tolerating poor soil. Lets take a closer look at this fantastic little succulent.
Description Portulaca are a low growing, creeping ground cover. Its leaves vary from round to ovate in shape, they are quite thick and can be a number of different shades of green. The flowering period commences in Spring and continues all the way through Summer, however it is not uncommon to see flowers popping all year round. Flowers are slightly bigger than a 10 cent piece and come in a range of vibrant colours. They actually close up of a night time and are woken in the morning by the warmth of the sun. It is quite hard to capture the iridescent colours on camera, you have to see the blooms for yourself.
Care Portulaca are amazingly easy to grow, just don't kill them with kindness! They will tolerate almost any soil type but prefer a sandy or gravelly mix, avoid mixes which hold a lot of water. Portulaca love the sun, so make sure they get plenty of it, the brighter the sun the more brilliant the flowers will look. Avoid over watering, if there is one thing that Portulaca don't like, it's wet feet. Always check the soil before you water,if its still moist, hold off until its dry. Portulaca will need quite a lot of fertilising to look their best over Spring and Summer. Apply a slow release fertiliser such as Garden Gold or Acticote at the start of Spring and Summer. Liquid fertilisers such as Thrive or Harvest can be applied every few weeks also. Pruning is very easy, and will keep them from going wild and looking messy. Think of pruning as giving your Portulaca a haircut, there is no need to be precise with your cuts.
Uses Their hardy nature makes Portulaca suitable for just about any area that receives lots of sunlight. When planted in containers they look spectacular, like pots full of colour. Try planting some in ceramic bowls around a patio or courtyard, when the foliage starts to hang down the sides and comes into bloom it is a marvelous sight. Also try planting some in rockeries or as a ground cover in Cati/Succulent gardens.
*Why not try planting two or more different colours in the same pot?
These portulaca's were planted as seed just 5 weeks ago!
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