As we know, of the genre Purslane It is full of quite colorful plants and used for decoration in gardens and interiors. It has more than 200 species that come from tropical regions of South America. Today we are going to focus on one of the species of this genus widely used for gardening. It’s about the portulaca grandiflora. It is a perfect plant to withstand the heat and sun in the gardens.
In this article we are going to show you what are the main properties and characteristics of the portulaca grandiflora as well as the care you need.
Key features
This plant is perfect to be used in gardens where there is a very hot and sunny climate. During the summer months the hours of sunshine can seriously affect plant survival. For this reason, it must be observed that plants can have a great color during summer flowering to give an extra ornamental value. You have to start by saying that portulaca grandiflora it is a type of succulent plant. These plants are quite resistant to heat and sun since they can store water in their tissues and withstand long periods of drought and high temperatures.
Thanks to this characteristic of being able to store water, they do not need very frequent watering, not even in summer. It is a type of creeping and upholstery plant so it comes in handy for rockery-type gardens. If we control the expansion of this plant well, we can make it completely cover the rock and the decoration is much better. It has a root system that develops extensively and not in depth. In this type of root growth we find that a rather superficial type of soil with rocky support is better.
It has a wide variety of colors that allow you to combine them. There are also ornamental hybridizations that have been perfected over time. This type of hybridization allows us to have flowers of different types, among which we find single, double and various colored flowers.
As for its flowering, the name itself indicates that it has a quite striking flowering. It is a type of summer flowering that begins from late spring until well into autumn. This period of time depends on the climate in which we find ourselves and the amount of incident solar radiation. If the radiation favors the plant’s growth, it will have such a large bloom that the stems can barely be seen.
Caring for the portulaca grandiflora
Temperature and sun exposure
We are going to analyze the care based on the importance of each factor. We start with temperatures and solar radiation. These two variables are important to take into account in the growth and development of a plant. Being a type of succulent plant, we must know that it has a high capacity to withstand temperatures and water scarcity with little watering. In fact, unnecessary abundant watering can be detrimental to your health and end up rotting and losing all the leaves.
And it is that these plants are capable of storing water inside the tissues to always remain hydrated. A climate that can be perfect for this type of succulent is the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean climate is characterized by having high doses of sun. If we place the plant in a shadier area, we can find that the flowers retract in all their splendor in the sample. This plant needs as much direct sunlight as possible.
On the other hand, it also withstands drought in an effective way. This plant is considered normal because at the beginning of the winter months it cannot bear the low temperatures and ends up dying. This also depends on the weather and rainfall, but they usually die as soon as the first frosts begin.
Irrigation, type of soil and compost
As we have mentioned before, the portulaca grandiflora you do not need us to be aware of your irrigation. Root rot can occur due to excess water, either from precipitation or on purpose. Although in summer you have to increase the frequency of watering a little, it should not be too much. There are many people who, when they are hot and thirsty, believe that plants also need water. This is not the case in the Portulaca.
We are now talking about the type of soil and compost that the Portulaca grandiflora. It does not need a soil that has too many nutrients since it has a great rusticity and can proliferate in poor soils. If we are talking about a Mediterranean climate, the soils are normally limestone and, therefore, we must apply some fertilizer with a higher concentration of phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. This is done to promote flowering in summer. As for the texture of the soil, it is necessary that they be shallow and well-drained soils to avoid the aforementioned accumulation of water.
Tips for caring for the portulaca grandiflora
Despite being a plant that does not require much care, it is very common for this plant to end up dying in the hands of a novice. Therefore, we are going to give some little tips that will help you take good care of it:
- Don’t over water this plant. He just waited for the land to dry out for several days before he could water. In summer, do a little more watering but without overdoing it.
- If you keep the plant in winter during the days of intense cold it is likely that we can get some regrowth although this is not easy.
- To improve the opening of following flowers we can remove the stems that have withered flowers.
- Although many people do, this plant does not require pruning Unless we want to control its growth if we have this plant in rockery. In itself it has more than enough growth and creeping expansion.
As you can see, you can enjoy the decoration offered by the portulaca grandiflora from its flowering and with hardly any difficulty in the care. Just take into account the advice mentioned above and, surely, you will be able to enjoy the great ornamental value that this plant grants in gardens.
