Growing Moss Rose

Do you know that Moss Rose is a semi-succulent flowering plant?

Moss rose tends to thrive in dry conditions.

It is a brightly colored annual flowering plant that is native to the arid plains of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Moreover, moss rose is a drought-tolerant plant that belongs to the Purslane family.

You can easily identify this plant by their pom-pom-shaped blossoms and succulent leaves and these plants are capable of storing water inside their thick stems and fleshy leaves.

This helps them to protect themselves from high temperatures and intense sunlight.

Also, this makes moss rose a relatively low-maintenance flowering plant.

You can find this plant as a groundcover as it makes a festive addition to rock gardens, walkways, and stone walls.

However, you can also choose to have this plant in a hanging basket, as its dense leaves and hardy flowers make for a vibrant display.

Keep on reading.

Moss Rose

Moss rose plants, Portulaca grandiflora are stunning and popular flowering annual succulents that do not come back every year.

These plants are native to South America and tend to grow to be between 3 and 9 inches tall.

Moreover, they spread to create a dense mat, that makes moss rose a good option for a succulent ground cover.

It is important to note that the flowers come in a number of bright colors and often have ruffled petals, that look very similar to miniature roses.

The blooms tend to grow in clusters on reddish stems and often do not open on cloudy days or at night.

The best time to plant moss rose is in spring after the danger of frost passes.

Furthermore, gardeners should carefully consider where they tend to plant moss roses in their landscape, as all parts of the plant tend to be toxic to dogs and cats.

Quick Facts about Moss Rose

Some quick facts about moss rose are:

Moss Rose Care

You can find moss roses to be selling in the spring and if you see leftover moss rose plants on clearance sale in the summer, you may notice the plants are often just as lovely as they are in the spring.

This is a testament to the toughness of the plant.

Moreover, the medium green, cylindrical succulent leaves of this plant are another clue to the hardiness of the plant, namely its tolerance to drought conditions.

It is important to note that moss rose plants tend to be a popular choice for growing in container gardens, along the front edge of garden bed borders.

This is because edging along the paved walkways, on top of stone walls, and in rock gardens, makes them a stunning addition.

In addition, the trailing habit of moss rose tends to work well in hanging baskets.

This plant does not often spread fast outside of its bounds as a ground cover, so it is ideal for small gardens.

These plants tend to flourish in poor, dry soils where many other plants may struggle to grow.

In fact, the soil that is too wet can actually kill these plants.

Moss rose often blooms from summer to the first frost in the fall without any deadheading needed.

As annuals, the plants tend to die at the end of the growing season, however, they do produce seeds that can potentially germinate and sprout the following year.

Light and Soil requirements

Your moss rose plant will need full sun, which means at least 6 to 8 hours on most days to look and bloom their best.

In case you try to grow them in a shady area, they tend to fail to produce flowers and the flowers they do have likely will not open.

Moreover, these plants tend to thrive best in sandy and rocky soils and will need excellent drainage.

In case your garden bed has clay soil, you can grow moss roses in containers rather than try to improve the clay soil drainage.

Soil that tends to retain too much water can easily cause the plant to die.

Water, Temperature, and other requirements

Moss rose plants tend to have low moisture needs, though they are not as quite drought tolerant as cacti.

The plants can tolerate periods of dryness, however, flowering is often better with some well-drained soil moisture.

Make sure to plant to water your plant if you have a long stretch without rainfall, as a general rule of thumb, one deep watering per week during the hot summer weather is sufficient.

As a native of Brazil Uruguay, and Argentina, these plants tend to like high heat and low humidity.

Moreover, it can tolerate cool, moist spring weather as long as it is frost-free.

However, the best growth and blooming will not take plant until the summer heat comes along.

Moss rose tend to frost tender, and will die back come winter, likely at the first deep freeze, if not earlier.

It is important to note that your plants can tolerate lean soil, so they will not need fertilizer.

But, feeding the plant with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer at the time of planting can help to promote healthy growth and profuse flowering.

You can also choose to fertilize twice during the growing season of the plant, this time using a blend that is high in phosphorous of more bountiful blooms.

Types of Moss Rose

There are a number of types of moss rose plants that are popular for landscape gardens.

These include the following:

‘Afternoon Delight’: A moss rose varietal that tends to have 2-inch wide blooms.

These open all day until the evening, and longer than most other varietals.

‘Calypso Mix’: This varietal tends to feature double blooms in orange, yellow, and red.

‘Duet’ series: This one boasts bicolor flowers in yellow and red or yellow and pink.

‘Fairy Tale’ series: These ones along with names such as ‘Snow White’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’, tend to resemble bomb-type peonies.

Moreover, they have flowers that have a pom-pom center with flat petals that tend to flare around the edges.

‘Happy Hour’ series: They are called such as these varieties like ‘Banana’ and ‘Coconut’ tend to bloom earlier than other types.

‘Mojave’: This one has large blooms that come in tangerine, pink, yellow, and white shades.

‘Sundance’: These tend to feature more petals on each flower and its blooms stay open longer than others.

‘Sundial’ series: A varietal that tends to bloom earlier and can tolerate cloudy days and cool weather better than other varieties.

Moreover, varietals known as ‘Sundial White’, ‘Sundial Yellow’, and ‘Sundial Peppermint’ tend to have bold pink and white striped flowers.

‘Tequila’ series: A number of colored hybrid blooms like red blowers with yellow centers, tend to bloom early and can tolerate cooler, moist conditions.

‘Yubi Summer Joy’ series: Trailing flowers stay open later in the day than most.

Pruning and Propagating Tips

At most, your moss rose will need light pruning, and only if you are living in a zone where it can survive year-round.

The best time to prune these plants is in early spring before new growth begins to emerge.

Moreover, make sure to remove any growth that looks dead or diseased, and you can also thin out a dense plant to improve air circulation.

This can help to reduce the risk of fungal disease.

Deadheading the spent blooms of the plant is, however, not necessary.

Just like most succulent plants, you can easily propagate moss rose through cuttings.

In fact, the cuttings tend to root readily and most gardeners find success with propagation methods.

Here is how to do it:

• use sharp, clean shears, and make a cutting from a mature, established ‘mother’ plant that has bloomed for at least one season
• make sure that the cutting is at least 4 inches in length and includes at least one node
• then remove all leaves and flowers from the cutting
• place the cutting in a small bowl of water as you prepare the rest of your materials
• in a small pot, you will need to combine a moist, but well-drained mixture of sand, soil, and peat moss
• bury the stem cut-side down at least 3 inches deep into the soil
• then cover the pot with a plastic bag or some other means of trapping humidity
• move the cutting to a spot that tends to get bright filtered light and maintains a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit
• make sure to water occasionally just until the soil is moist
• cutting will root within about two weeks at which point you can care for a typical moss rose

Growing from Seeds

If you are growing moss rose plants from seed, you can either start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last projected frost date.

Or you can plant them in the ground after the last frost date in your area.

Add the seeds to slightly moist soil and barely cover them, as they tend to need light to germinate.

Moreover, make sure to maintain slight soil moisture until the seedlings emerge, and germination will take about 2 weeks.

Then water the plants only when the top inch of the soil feels dry.

Keep the seedlings by a bright window if you are growing them indoors.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

It is important to note that moss rose is not affected by any notable pests or disease problems.

Though aphids may sometimes bother the plants, especially in spring.

With aphids, you may notice a sticky substance on the leaves, as well as yellowing and wilting of the foliage.

You can spray the affected plants with insecticidal soap to treat the problem.

Getting Moss Rose to Bloom

In case you are having a hard time getting your plant to bloom or they are not producing bountiful enough blooms for your liking, the problem almost lies with the moisture level of the soil.

These plants really dislike wet or soggy soil, and when you plant them in a medium that retains too much moisture, it will cause them to cease blooming.

You can try to step back your watering cadence, and you can also repot your moss rose in a container, which naturally drains faster than the ground will.

Moreover, clay or terracotta pots can also help wick excess moisture from the soil.

Another important factor when it comes to having your moss rose bloom is to make sure that the plant gets a proper amount of sunlight.

Your plant likes enough light and hot conditions and even an hour or two of shade can make a difference between bountiful blooms and barely any buds.

Thus, make sure that your plant gets at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily.

In case you are growing this plant along with other plants in the garden, you may even need to trim back nearby specimens so that they do not block the light.