Portulaca grandiflora Single Ruby

The Portulaca 'Single Ruby' is a selection of Portulaca with large flowers in bright red fuchsia. Its corollas bloom on a small plant with a low, spreading, and even trailing habit, making it perfect for rockeries and summer compositions. It is an annual plant with succulent foliage, particularly resistant to drought and salt spray, and not very demanding in soil, making it easy to grow. It flowers all summer long, bringing life to any setting. Perfect as a ground cover in rockeries, as well as in hanging baskets and exposed planters in full sun.

The Portulaca grandiflora 'Single Ruby' belongs to the Portulacaceae family. Its ancestor, the Portulaca with large flowers, also known as the Eleven o'clock flower, is a frost-tender annual herbaceous plant native to semi-desert areas of South America. It is a sun-loving species well adapted to hot locations and poor, particularly dry soils in summer. However, it cannot tolerate frost.

This 'Single Ruby' Portulaca quickly forms a prostrate clump of reddish, creeping and branching stems, reaching about 15 cm (6in) in height with a spread of 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in). The cylindrical, thick, succulent stems bear clusters of small, elongated, lanceolate, fleshy leaves of a relatively light green colour, measuring 1.5 to 2 cm (1in) in length. Flowering occurs from June until September. The 2.5 to 3.5 cm (1in) diameter flowers comprise five slightly crinkled silk-like petals surrounding a beautiful bouquet of yellow stamens. They require full sun to bloom. The corollas appear as if placed on a carpet of moss, which gave the Portulaca its name "Rose Moss" in England. The drier the summer, the more the Portulaca flowers.

Plant the 'Single Ruby' Portulaca in rockeries, borders, hanging baskets, or pots on its own or with other annual flowers. Whether in large masses or small touches, this undemanding and cheerful plant will bring life to any sunny spot without much attention. Its semi-trailing habit makes an excellent temporary ground cover planted in borders and flower beds alongside plants that thrive in dry conditions. It pairs well with lavenders, sedums, oregano, and California poppies.