These colorful flowersattract pollinatorssuch as bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds, especially when grown in containers.
Portulaca comes in a wide range of colors with new cultivars introduced often.
Their colorful blooms continue throughout the summer, needing only occasional deadheading to keep the show happening.
Ali Majdfar / Getty Images
It makes a great ground cover plant for sunny, warm growing zones.
Portulaca Care
The portulaca is a low-maintenance annual.
Here are the main care requirements for growing portulaca in containers or flower beds.
Ali Majdfar / Getty Images
Want more gardening tips?
Light
Planting these sun-loving flowers in full sun will encourage more blooms and new buds to form.
There are some newer cultivars that perform well in partial shade, like the ‘Sundial’ series.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
They will also grow in loose, rocky soil.
Temperature and Humidity
Being native to South America, these flowers can tolerate high temperatures.
They’re also impervious to high humidity.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Some newer hybrids perform well on cool mornings and bloom earlier in the season than heirloom varieties.
A better method to improve nutrition would besoil amendments (such as compost)instead of fertilizer.
Types of Portulaca
The name portulaca refers to over 100 species of plants.
umbraticola,also known as wingpod purslane, has somewhat wider leaves thanP.
grandiflora, which has spiky, slender leaves.
Portulaca grandiflorais the one most commonly sold as a summer annual.
Also remove buds that have gotten brown and mushy, which can happen in wet weather.
There are two potential issues to watch for.
One is poorly-drained soil which can lead to crown rot or root rot of the plant.
Sandy soil is recommended but adding a bit of loam can help improve drainage also.
Be sure to avoid hard clay soils.
How to Get Portulaca to Bloom
Portulaca usually blooms readily throughout the summer.
But occasionally your plants may seem sluggish or slow to bloom.
you’ve got the option to trim the spent flowers and any leggy foliage to promote new growth.
What Do Portulaca Blooms Look Like?
These colorful flowers have no fragrance but their vivid hues attract many pollinators all the same.
The petals are either single or double, often with frilly yellow stamens in the center.
The range of colors is vast, with pastels and brights in basically every color but blue.
There are also bi-color cultivars that have streaks and stripes.
How to Encourage More Blooms
Portulaca produces new flower buds throughout the season.
How Long Does Portulaca Bloom?
These new buds keep the flowers blooming continuously for consistent summer color.
Portulaca grandifloramay reseed in warmer growing zones, or if the plants are located in a sunny spot.
But the only perennial variety isPortulaca umbraticola.
Portulaca prefers sun and is very tolerant of bright sun and heat.
Retrieved July 25, 2024, from https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/portulaca
