How to Grow and Care for Portulaca As a Beginner

Common Name	Portulaca, moss rose, purslane, pigweed
Botanical Name	Portulaca
Family	Portulacaceae
Plant Type	Annual
Mature Size	4-6 inches tall, 6-12 inches wide
Sun Exposure	Full sun
Soil Type	Sandy, loamy, rocky, well drained
Soil pH	Slightly acidic, neutral
Bloom Time	Summer
Flower Color	Multiple colors
Hardiness Zones	USDA 2-11
Native Areas	South America
Toxicity	Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses

Portulaca Care 

The portulaca is a low-maintenance annual. Here are the main care requirements for growing portulaca in containers or flower beds.

• Plant in full sun in a sandy, well-draining soil.
• Water well during long spells of hot weather, but otherwise, this plant is drought-tolerant.
• Portulaca is usually grown as an annual, but it may reseed and return in spring.
• These flowers benefit from deadheading of spent blooms to keep them looking neat and encourage more flower buds.

Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best-growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more!

Planting

When planting portulaca, choose a spot with full sun, sandy soil, and not crowded with taller plants, as portulaca only grows a few inches tall. They’re perfect in the front of a border or the front of a container to show off their bright colors, and their spreading tendrils also work well in hanging baskets.

Light

Planting these sun-loving flowers in full sun will encourage more blooms and new buds to form. But if you must plant them in a partial sun location, the afternoon sun (which tends to be brighter and warmer) is slightly better than the morning sun.

There are some newer cultivars that perform well in partial shade, like the ‘Sundial’ series.

Soil

Portulaca are not too fussy about soil but they perform best in loose, sandy, and well-drained soil. They will also grow in loose, rocky soil. Avoid hard clay soils, which can prevent their roots from developing fully, and may also leave the plants susceptible to crown rot.

Water

The portulaca is a fairly drought-tolerant flower, but during the height of its flowering season, regular watering keeps the blooms vibrant. Be sure to give them water if there’s an extended period of extreme heat to prevent buds from drying up.

Temperature and Humidity

Being native to South America, these flowers can tolerate high temperatures. They’re also impervious to high humidity. This makes these flowers a good choice for summer spots that might get hot at times, like alongside a driveway that absorbs heat from asphalt or concrete.

Some newer hybrids perform well on cool mornings and bloom earlier in the season than heirloom varieties.

Fertilizer

There’s no need to fertilize portulaca, as long as the soil they’re planted in is relatively good and not too thin. A better method to improve nutrition would be soil amendments (such as compost) instead of fertilizer.

Types of Portulaca 

The name “portulaca” refers to over 100 species of plants. Portulaca is sometimes referred to purslane, and is related to the succulent plant (P. oleracea) many of us know as a weed that is also edible. P. umbraticola, also known as wingpod purslane, has somewhat wider leaves than P. grandiflora, which has spiky, slender leaves.

Portulaca grandiflora is the one most commonly sold as a summer annual. There are a number of hybrid cultivars bred for large double flowers and a range of colors including attractive bi-colors. Here are a few great-looking varieties to try:

• ‘Happy Hour™ Tropical Mixture’ (bright colors include pink, red, orange, peach, and yellow)
• ‘Sundial’ (early bloomer, does well in cooler weather, range of colors including ‘Peppermint’ mixture with white flowers streaked with hot pink)
• ‘Margarita’ (compact plants with a full growth habit, with large double flowers in rich colors including yellow, white, pink, red, orange and purple)
• ‘Mojave’ (large flowers with bright yellow stamens in vivid colors including fuchsia, red, tangerine, and yellow)

Pruning

Portulacas grow throughout the summer season and sometimes the foliage may get a bit “leggy” so it may need a bit of trimming to keep it neat. Deadhead the spent flowers and snip off any buds that have dried out. Also remove buds that have gotten brown and mushy, which can happen in wet weather.

Pests and Problems

Portulaca is a relatively low-maintenance annual that is not bothered by insects or other pests. 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.

The other issue to look for is the foliage on the portulaca becoming a bit leggy and overgrown as the season progresses. This is an easy fix: simply pinch off the leggy bits or trim them with a pair of snips to keep the plant looking neat and encourage more flower buds.

Propagating Portulaca

You can propagate new portulaca plants from cuttings taken in early to mid-summer.

1. Clip 2-4 inch cuttings from the ends of the stems.
2. Remove spent blooms or buds, and strip the leaves from the bottom half of the stem. 
3. You can use rooting hormone if you wish, but it shouldn’t be necessary. Put the cut stem end into moist potting soil in a container, or in the flower bed.
4. Water regularly, but don’t overwater. The cuttings should take between one and two weeks to form roots, and can then be transplanted.

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 can 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.

Months of Bloom

Portulaca can start blooming in late spring (mid-June) depending on the variety, and bloom through autumn (October).

How to Encourage More Blooms

Portulaca produces new flower buds throughout the season. If the plants go through a particularly warm spell of weather and get plenty of water, they may produce buds very quickly, and it may appear that some of these buds turn brown or dry out.

You can gently “pop” these buds off to clean up the plan and encourage healthy fresh buds to form.

How Long Does Portulaca Bloom?

Portulaca flowers will usually bloom for up to two weeks or more, and constantly form new flowers from fresh buds throughout the season. These new buds keep the flowers blooming continuously for consistent summer color.