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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 10, 2023 22:54:36 GMT -6
Purslane - Portulaca oleracea is a weed throughout my yard. Moss Rose - Portulaca grandiflora is a pretty annual ornamental I once grew in abundance in Albuquerque, NM.
I enjoy snacking on purslane when I find it in my yard, and I've been wondering if Moss Rose is also as tasty as Purslane. I have a small quantity of seed I saved of the purslane, but maybe I could just grow Moss Rose, for its pretty flowers and snacking; if it's anywhere near as tasty as purslane. I suppose I could grow them both and find out for myself.
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Post by amyinowasso on Jan 11, 2023 10:25:25 GMT -6
I'm fond of Purslane myself. I've never tried the moss rose version, but I've grown a flowering Purslane (picked up as a plant for ornamental use, long before my current gardening projects. I chose a "domesticated" version (or 3) selected for upright growth and bigger leaves. I find it still spreads like a weed and SOMETHING in my garden will eat it down to the stems. A pretty one yo try is Jewels of Opar. The leaves are similar to Purslane and are good even when flowering, so you get a twofer. Both are warm weather plants, though I don't know how they would tolerate your kind of heat.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 11, 2023 17:58:50 GMT -6
Purslane was the first plant I tried to grow in Texas. My cousin’s wife in San Antonio had some beautiful hanging baskets of with different colors of flowers, and she gave me cuttings. I started them in hanging baskets that I found on our property, but I hadn’t hung them as there were no hooks installed. I had them on our front walk or the front porch. Little did I know that the deer would be so bold as to come right up onto the porch and eat whatever was there, so that was the end of my purslane. (I enjoy the taste, too, so I can’t really blame the deer, but I wasn’t happy that my beautiful plants were gone.)
My neighbor grew some beautiful purslane in her ornamental beds this summer, and it stood up very well to the heat we had here, though they did water frequently. We don’t get as hot as Tucson, but we had 155 days over 90 degrees according to an article I just read, and I think it was something like 58 days over 100.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 12, 2023 10:11:22 GMT -6
This variety is the one I chose, to begin growing portulaca. It is called 'Happy Hour Peppermint'.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 14, 2023 14:50:20 GMT -6
That is beautiful!
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 14, 2023 16:47:19 GMT -6
I remember a similar variety was among those I grew in Albuquerqe. It was always my favorite moss rose.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jan 16, 2023 9:40:20 GMT -6
Moss rose is the Bomb! I love that stuff! My Aunt Ida used to keep a couple of beds of those growing along each side of the sidewalk in front of her house, one was planted in an old shallow wheelbarrow, and the other was planted in an old steel feed trough. Moss Rose seems to thrive in less than favorable conditions and her beds were always full of the most vibrant colors. Every time I see a bed of those it reminds me of her. What precious memories.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 24, 2023 17:01:12 GMT -6
I just planted a 6-pack of Moss Rose 'Happy Hour Pepermint'. Soon I will plant some of the mixed color variety seed, but I plan to sow that directly into pots, outside.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 28, 2023 14:09:25 GMT -6
Several of the Moss Rose 'Happy Hour Pepermint' have germinated.
Edit: make that, all 6.
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