Those are moss rose. They have a more rose-like flower, and the stem is not a fleshy as portulaca, which has more of a petunia shaped bloom. Around here, we have wild portulaca, and it's a noxious weed--it grows big, thick, nasty looking stems with a few leaves and fewer blooms, and NOTHING will grow around it, and NOTHING will kill it. The moss rose mixes well with our landscape, and I've even got some coming up from self-seeding.
I'll see if I can find a picture of portulaca. Even nurseries in the area mislabel the plants.
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
Ok, ok. EVERY website says they are the same. But here's a pic of what I call portulaca. It has different shaped leaves and petals from the moss rose, and I personally have never had much luck with it. It grows and grows, but won't bloom for me. The picture you've posted is what I call moss rose.
I guess this is as clear as mud!!!
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
Very interesting Gardenermom!! I don't know as I have ever seen that before.. and everywhere around here labels what I have as Portulaca...
So, the variety that I have is Moss rose, and it is the better bloomer of the two? Well I will just stick with it, since as you can see it does quite well.. and that flower up there, is growing in clay!!
Thanks so much for the info!!!
Edited to add: Wow!!! I want wild portulaca too!! That is awesome. I have some serious areas that I would welcome it... but you said it doesn't really bloom much. Too bad.. That would be an awesome wild/perennial ground cover!!!
Last edited by Pinkhorseofcourse; Jun 30th, 2007 at 01:50 PM.
If a person like me and grow them, anyone can do so. I don't even water mine, I guess rain water is suffice!
Helping the world one seed at a time
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Mary Ann LaPensee
Both are very nice......When mine both bloom I will take a photo .. I got the portulaca from Malaysia......It blooms clear different then that..But they are all so nice......COngrads are in order there.
I have what Wrennie put as the thinner leaved variety and what pinkhorseofcourse posted a pic of. I always thought they were the same thing as moss rose.
I LOVE Portulaca.......It's a top fav. of mine......I've never saw the flat leaf variety for sale around here.....I never call it moss rose, I've always called the sundial type thinner leaf ones Portulaca and that's how they are labeled......You just can't beat the vibrant blooms of the portulaca flowers, and mine reseed all over the place like crazy each year.......I can plant some up at the top of the yard and next year they'll be popping up down at the bottom......
Love them, will never be without them. Great pics!
One question....I bought a small pot of them this summer. I thought it was one plant but maybe I am wrong. It has gotten pretty big now but it has 5 different colors of blooms. So does that mean I have 5 different plants from that one little pot that I bought? It was maybe a 3.5" pot. I had some last year too but they were all the same color. I bought 2 of these small pots this year and the other one I planted in the ground and those blooms are all the same color.
Mine are often multi colored from one plant......you know, you can pull off a section of your portulacas and stick them in the ground, keeping them watered and they root really easy....I do that every single year......
This year I bought about 18 of them but I have tons more than that just from sticking pieces in the ground.
Nope, doesn't kill them....I mean don't take a ton of pieces of one plant or anything....I usually go thru and take a long piece off each of my plants. That's how I got Portulacas growing around the pond.
My only wish is that they were perennials and not annuals.
I've seen them in hanging planters. Make a potfull and put them in for the winter. You'll have them all year. I had impatiens in a hanger in my kitchen blooming in January one year!
I am going to do that with my Portula from Malaysia......Thanks for the advice. It is so gorgous. Maybe get a good photo of it today.....The other one got rained on yesterday an I am waiting to do both.
I love the moss rose, too, and some of the seeds that fell last year have started coming up and blooming. If I had planted them on purpose, they would have never germinated!! Ha!! Here are some that I bought and planted last month...
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
And this is the wild moss rose that grows around here--we've always called it portulaca--with the wide leaf. It never blooms. Maybe it's something else?????
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
Loz, I don't know why I haven't tried rooting them like that!! I do that with my Autum Joy Sedum and other sedum ground covers--I'm doing that tonight. We just put in an new rock bed, and it's kind of bare.
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah
Gardening in March
Gardening in April
Gardening in May
Shop at Amazon and Support AGF
Are you shopping online? Click this link first and A Gardeners Forum will receive a commission for your
referral at Amazon.com (shopping through this link to Amazon will not have any impact on your prices at Amazon).