june issue 2011

If you are new to gardening, find it difficult to work in the garden under the summer sun or simply appreciate nature’s most simple plants, Rose Moss is exactly what you should be growing.

Rose Moss (Portulaca Grandiflora, 11 o’clock, or Moss Rose) is an edible weed that comes in many shades and colours. The plant grows about six inches tall and spreads two feet wide. It will grow in poor and sandy soil and will not only grow well in hot summers but will also produce overflowing mini roses from morning to evening for the rest of the year.

Rose Moss looks brilliant in hanging baskets, rock gardens, as ground cover or a border, and even in a container.

Starting a Plant

You can cultivate Rose Moss both by sowing seeds or taking cuttings from an adult plant.

Buy seeds from a horticulture store or borrow them from a friend’s garden. Mix the seeds with a little sand and spread it all around the patch or the pot in which you want to grow your plants. Lightly cover with soil, and water with a soft shower. Make sure you have selected a place that gets full sun during the day. You can also start your plant by taking a two-inch cutting from an adult plant and simply planting it back in the soil.

Grow Rose Moss this season and share the seeds, cuttings or plants with your friends.

Tip: Rose Moss reseeds itself. Deadhead flowers (trim the spent flowers) before it seeds if you do not want the weed to get out of control.