Pronounciation: Por-tu-LA-ca HI-brids

Hardiness zones
Sunset All, limited to warm season except in Hawaii
USDA All, limited to warm season except in south Florida and Hawaii

Landscape Use: In Phoenix, portulaca is a dependable, heat-loving warm season annual for landscape flower beds and containers.

Form & Character: Stiff and brittle yet delicate and succulent like a miniature ice plant, bright, warm, and festive. This little summer annual will put a smile on your face when in bloom.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, succulent herbaceous annual, moderate vigor, low and prostrate to 6-inches high by 12- to 18-inches wide.

Foliage/Texture: Succulent cylindrical leaves to 1-inch long, light green with an occassional bronze-red tinge, stems succulent green too, well branched; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Single and double-headed flowers, mostly warm colors of red, yellow, pink, orange and white; fruits are very small, inconspicuous light brown capsules partially enclosed by green sepals.

Seasonal Color: Flowers emerge in mass episodically during the warm season every few days and respond with intensity several days after a light application of fertilizer.

Temperature: Portulaca is heat loving, bring it on!! When it's 112^oF and everyone else is in hibernation or flaccid, portulaca remains perky as long as they're irrigated.

Light: Partial shade to full sun.

Soil: Tolerant, but does best in a light, well-drained, organic matter-sand mixed soil.

Watering: Water abundantly every two days during the hottest months of the Phoenix summer.

Pruning: None

Propagation: Seed (300,000 per ounce) sown direct or rooted cuttings (extremely easy).

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: Portulaca is a reliable and easy to grow bedding plant for Phoenix during the brutally hot summer months when many other plants and people are are either dead, dieing, or struggling to stay alive. Plant transplants in the landscape at 4 to 6 inches on center in late April to early May for best cover. Flower abundance is promoted by bi-weekly light applications of a complete fertilizer that is moderately high in phosphorus.

There are several varieties and cultivars. Some popular varietal selections include:

• 'Afternoon Delight' - bright double, 2-inch wide flowers that stay open all day
  
• 'All Double Mix' - bright double, 2-inch wide flowers
  
• 'Calpyso Mix'- brightly colored, double, sterile
  
• 'Cloudbeater Mix'- mixed double and sterile, 2-inch wide flowers stay open all day
  
• 'Double Mix'- bright, mostly double and sterile
  
• 'Kariba Mix' - brightly colored, 2-inch wide flowers, double, sterile, spreading
  
• 'Minilaca Mix'- bright semi-double, short, only 2 inches tall, non-spreading
  
• 'Sundance Mix'- 4 colors, mostly double and sterile
  
• Sundial series - 9 colors available separately
  
• 'Swanlake'- mixed colors, 2-inch wide double flowers, sterile
  
• 'Wildfire Mix'- 3 colors, vigorous single, erratic closing, tendency to reseed
  

A final byte of information for plant nerds: Portulaca comes from the Latin 'porto' meaning to carry and 'lac' meaning milk, referring to the milky sap exudated by cut stems.