Purslane handsome - thanks to its spectacular, colorful and prolonged flowering, it has long been popular among many cottagers and gardeners.
Purslane worthy decorate flower beds, borders, are often used as a decorative lawn. The growing quite unpretentious. And in order for it to become a worthy ornament of your site, you need to know how to grow it.
Purslane - decorative creeping plant with large, up to 5 cm in diameter flowers. The petals of which seemed cut out and assembled from the finest silk a variety of bright colors. Small, not greater than 20 cm, with small stems fleshy succulent leaves spreading form silver-green carpet brightened colors.
Portulaca grandiflora ancestors arrived on the Eurasian continent from the New World, where the self-seeding spread like weeds. And the flowers they were small inconspicuous, yellowish. At first, it drew attention chefs. Fleshy succulent leaves began to be used in soups, salads, added to the cakes.
varieties of purslane
Gardeners-breeders brought two varieties of this plant: vegetable, with larger than wild kinsman, leaves, and macranthon. Among the ornamental Portulaca grandiflora wide range of varieties with simple and double flowers a variety of bright colors.
What place to choose for planting
Purslane grows and luxurious blooms almost all soils, with the exception of crude, with the stagnation of water. Location necessarily sunny areas, without a shadow.
Bright carpet of purslane adorn the rocky hills, planted them in mixborders in the foreground, on beds, fill the space between the conifers. You can add brightness to strict prim lawn, placing it courtines or strip flowering purslane.
Growing groundcover flower - purslane
Seeds of "flower mat" germinate at temperatures 25-30˚S. Therefore, planting in the ground it can be grown only in the South of the country. In the other regions is only possible method of growing seedling.
For growing seedlings purslane mix soil to prepare yourself. To take pochvosmesi garden land 3 parts, 2 parts humus, washed river sand 1 part. Mixed well and passed through a fine sieve. Before sowing the soil is decontaminated. One method - warming using a water bath.
The cooled after processing soil is placed in a nursery boxes, with a pre-packed drainage. The soil was leveled, is left to the upper edge of the container 2 cm. purslane seeds are very small. To uniformly distribute them take a toothpick and wet seeds are seated at a distance of about 1.5 cm from each other, are not buried in the soil. Moisturize spray. Covered with glass and put in a warm-lit place. Better if it will be a south window. Sprouts seem in 10-14 days.
After the appearance of seedlings and sprouts open organize supplementary lighting. Watering moderate, it not allowed to waterlogging of the soil. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, seedlings dive into small containers buried. Purslane are planted after the onset of sustained heat. A distance of 12-15 cm between plants. Blooming bright carpet will delight you from late spring to autumn.