Hello, I bought a portulaca plant earlier this summer. Now the seasons are changing and I'm worried that the plant might die due to cold wet Washington weather. How do I care for my plant during this time? Thank you for your time.
The portulaca plants are warm weather plants for sure. All of mine have died back now. But if your plant had time to bloom a few times then it also had time to make seeds. Mine come back every year from the seed generated by the plants during the previous year. I even get some new little plants in areas where I never had them before, so the seed must move around well. I have also purchased the seed for the plants and sprinkled that in the areas I wanted some to grow and they came up nicely. Those were graveled areas too and all I did was sprinkle the seeds and lightly rock the gravel back and forth with a hard toothed rake! So don't worry about trying to keep the plant alive, if it had time to make seeds it should come back fine when the warmer to hot weather returns.
I want to grow Portulaca in a hot afternoon sun wall. Will they do ok and should I strip the first buds to encourage flowering as in petunias?
Portulaca does well in a full sun location and likes the heat, so it should be fine where you are planting them. You can strip the first buds, but that only helps a little. To encourage continuous blooming, make sure to remove spent flowers and keep the seed pods from forming.
How many plants can you plant in a planter without smothering them? My planter is 16" across. I think I overdid it. Thanks.
I have several portulaca plants that come up in various places in our rosebeds and flower gardens. Some have come up in areas where I never planted any before too! They are hardy plants and you can thin them out a bit if there are too many in your planter. I can tell you that they seem to love to form big mounds of foliage covered with their vibrant blooms. Unless they are not looking good and having problems, then they are likely just fine and will bloom happily. Here is a link to an article I wrote on these wonderful plants for you too: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/portulaca/portulaca-plants.htm
Stan
I bought a portulaca plant earlier this summer. Now the seasons are changing and I'm worried that the plant might die due to cold wet Washington weather. How do I care for my plant during this time?
They are an annual, so they will not grow back regardless of temps. If you can collect seeds, you can grow new ones for next year.
When to plant portulaca? Can they be planted in winter?
They need to be planted after the last frost date in your area. If you do not get frost in your area, they can be planted at anytime.
I potted some Portulacas last summer and as it became colder, the little branches, if you will, died. Last week, I pulled out the old branches and I am wondering if that was the wrong thing to do. Will they come back this year or should I buy new ones to pot? Thank you!
They are annuals, so they will not grow back regardless of temps. If you can collected seeds, you can grow new ones this year, and they've also been known to reseed in some areas. You can also buy another one and start again.
I have grown portulaca for years. Recently I discovered Portulaca All Aglow on the net, but for the life of me, can't find a vendor for seeds. When I google the image of this flower, it is among the other portulaca plants. Can you help me?
I could not find seeds but I did find this private seller selling plants: http://www.mgonlinestore.com/Portulaca/